The Devil's Crossing
by Li'l Yahiko
Summary: Envy now has free roam of the gate and is creating homunculi without the use of human transmutations to help him destroy the humans. What he didn't count on was accidently bringing Edward back as a homunculus. Later EdWin RoyRiza and more.
1. The Gate

_**The Devil's Crossing**_

(disclaimed)

Chapter 1: The Gate

His golden eyes flickered slowly open, staring into the black ceiling above him. His throat felt strangely dry; his body felt hollow, dead. He wasn't sure if he wanted to move or not for fear of how his body would suffer. There was silence among him, an echoing emptiness that matched he himself.

He finally attempted moving his left hand a bit, twitching his fingers slightly. There was no pain. He moved his entire hand, lifting it up with his wrist. Afterwards, he moved his whole arm up and down. It seemed he was intact.

He bent his waist and moved into a sitting position to find himself on a stone table in a barren room. There was only one other person in the room, but the boy had failed to notice him. He was more preoccupied with looking at himself, amazed to see both real arms, both real legs… but they were covered with red markings that reminded him of alchemy circles. They traveled over his entire nude form except for his face.

"This doesn't make sense…" He whispered in a scratchy voice that sounded unlike his own. There was a hiss to it to accompany the parchedness.

"I'll say it doesn't!" A voice shouted, partly of shock, mostly of anger.

The blonde's empty eyes widened and took notice of the green-headed man. "YOU!" He shouted.

-

Prior to these events…

-

In an area heavily surrounded by trees, there ran a small, clear-water stream. Beyond this stream and up a timbered knoll there sat a castle. This castle was dark with stained-glass windows. It ascended into the heavens with tall, sharp points, seeming as though it could pierce the very sky and rip holes in it. Inside, the castle was that of the gothic style with large ceiling and extreme attention to detail. The staircase in the middle of the main hall led in two directions, and the railing was adorned at the ends with sculptures of dark angels. All of the furnishings were made of either stone or dark wood. The entire building seemed to be in ideal condition, except for a single crack in the tile in front of the flight of steps.

Lurking in this castle were dark creatures, human though they looked on the outside. They held the faces of ones whom had passed on, with the red mark of the ouroboros engraved into their skin on some part of their body.

At the top of the left stairway, a child with long, fawn hair pulled back in pigtails sat. She wore a black dress that tied around her neck and trailed away at her knees. On the outer side of her right ankle, the ouroboros was placed, in all of it's crimson glory.

The little girl stared at her pale, bare feet with her catlike, aquamarine eyes. Her tiny hands were folded in her lap. She let out a little sigh, one so quiet that only she could hear it.

"Obsession," A voice called to her. She looked up into the darkened doorway behind her at the man who emerged, a dark-haired man with equally-colored eyes. He wore a skin-tight, black shirt with a purple button-down over it, left open with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His pants were baggy and black as well, as were his boots. His ouroboros resided on the back of his neck. "I was looking for you…"

She stood up and stared into his gray eyes. "I've been here," She told him. "I don't know why. Where were you looking for me, Heartbreak?"

He gave her a kind smile. "I could search this place for endless hours and not even tell you the extent of where I've looked. Truth be told, I got distracted in the library."

"You're always reading, Brother Heartbreak. It's a strange hobby for you, since you can do so much more than sit cooped up in there all day."

"What do you do for excitement, Obsession?" Heartbreak asked as they traveled down the stairs.

"I get Daddy Redemption to take me into Central City," Obsession giggled somewhat wickedly. "I go see that Shou Tucker absorb himself in his own pity, the fool." Her sweet face switched to a rather devious one. "He still pines for this body of mine. I hear him crying from the cell they placed him in. I hear him yelling 'Nina, Nina! They've taken my Nina!'. It was his fault that Nina was gone in the first place, and having my useless, unmoving body to cuddle was wasteful. I'm glad Envy snatched my body from him and took me to the gate."

Heartbreak eyed her with a bit of sadness and surprise. "Do you not miss him at all, Obsession? Do you not miss being Nina Tucker at all?"

"I don't remember much about Nina Tucker except that the man I called father put me through suffering beyond my years. I don't miss that man at all. He used me as his tool and didn't decide to miss me until I had been long since dead. The worst part was that my soul didn't matter as long as he had my body. I'll bet that if Envy hadn't saved me, I would've been morphed with another animal. Why do you ask? Do you miss your life?"

He shook his head a bit. "There's nothing to miss. Everyone I knew died out when I did. We all turned to stone, like this…" He held out his hand, and it morphed into stone before their eyes. "My life as Lujar brought me nothing but pain."

"Yes," She took his hand, "but lucky for you, now you have me, Brother Heartbreak."

He nodded. "I suppose I do…"

"Hey!" Another voice called from the right set of steps. His feet were heard stomping heavily upon the stairs as he descended them and approached them hurriedly.

"Daddy Redemption!" Obsession greeted, beaming a childlike smile. Her wickedness was gone, replaced with a seemingly everlasting innocence.

This man wore platform boots that were tied from the ankle to the knee by many belts with silver buckles. His pants were black and skin tight, held up with a similar belt as well. His shirt was translucent black from the waist to the chest and down each arm while the rest was solid black. The mark of the ouroboros could be seen on his abdomen beneath the fabric. He wore the face of Maes Hughes, yet his eyes were darker, less lively.

"What is it, Redemption?" Heartbreak asked, staring somewhat worriedly.

"Envy is going to make another one of us. You said you wanted to watch this time, Obsession."

Her eyes lit up. "Yeah, I do! Come on! We'll all go together!"

-

Munich, Germany.

Edward Elric had decided to go out for a stroll to clear his head. He was feeling strangely inspired to work on getting back to Amestris and back to Alphonse today, but he needed to air out his head before he lost it completely. Just spending time reflecting on the extensive possibilities and infinite power of the gate and all he had learned about it was enough to make one's head explode.

The path he had chosen was one that he had traveled before on occasions such as this. It had towering brick buildings and such raising into the sky that was a dull gray today, but not many people. They were farther into this part, and he preferred to not be around them anyway.

It was silent. There was only the sound of his footsteps and the occasional chirping bird or gust of wind to keep him company. That was when a sound entered his ears, a strange sound that couldn't have been a person or an animal… it seemed… otherworldly.

After a few moments of trying to discover where it was coming from, he met eyes on an alleyway between two buildings that seemed strangely darker than usual. His heart leapt in his chest, and he wasn't positive as to why. He approached cautiously, considering he had no skill in alchemy in this place.

"Hello?" He called, feeling idiotic that he would say something so used. He entered the passage, and the sounds of his feet now seemed extremely hollow.

Ahead of him he could see a mass of black taking form into a body. This person he knew immediately, and his breath paused in his throat. Yes, indeed, he knew this person, but he didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be possible.

Despite his denial, it was Envy, now finishing solidifying into his humanlike form. There was still darkness wrapped at his feet.

Edward couldn't, he wouldn't let him hurt innocent people here. They didn't even know how to defend themselves from something like him. Without thinking, he charged him.

Envy heard the approach and turned just in time to meet eyes with his enemy.

Ed pounced on him. "You bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing! Showing your face here! I'll kill you!"

"What the fuck!" Envy shouted, punching the blonde in the face.

Edward, despite his bloody nose and lip, wrestled the homunculus to the ground. He pummeled him for a few moments before Envy turned the tables and slammed Edward against the brick wall next to him.

Envy's foot met with Edward's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Envy took the time to smirk at him, a bad mistake since it was the millisecond the other boy needed to whirl around and kick him to the ground. He attacked him again and began punching at him unceasingly. Envy blocked and dodged most of his movements though a few blows met with his milky white face.

"Son of a-" Envy began but silenced as darkness swooped around the two of them.

Edward looked up at the shadow-like objects engulfed them. "What is this!" He screamed, shutting his eyes. When they flew open again, he was standing before the very place he'd begun to lose hope that he would ever see again.

"The gate…" He whispered and barely had time to get it out before the doors flew open and dragged the both of them in.

-

"I can't see anything," Obsession said, peeking into the window of the door. This was the room where they had all been created.

"Redemption, where is Rebellion?" Heartbreak asked idly, trying to find something in the room to show Obsession.

"Not sure," Redemption said. "He's probably in the high tower brooding again. I'll go check on him when we are finished here."

"There's a force coming from behind the door," Obsession whispered excitedly, feeling the pulse in the wood with her hands. "Is this how it is every time, Brother Heartbreak?"

"It was when Redemption and Rebellion were created," Heartbreak replied, "but… something's not right."

"Not right?" Redemption leaned forward and peeked inside.

-

Edward took hold of Envy's wrist and made another punch at him, even through the dark shadows of the gate. Before his fist met with his face however, he had vanished into the black.

"Hey! Come back here!" Ed shouted. "Don't you run from me!" He looked around into the darkness. "Damn it… How'd I get myself into this…?"

The gate's creatures grabbed at him. "HEY! What is this!" He screamed as they scratched and bit at him. "They're trying to rip me apart!" He swiped at them with his hands, but soon enough they too were being consumed. "NO!"

His will to survive pushed him forward. His clothing was ripped to shreds as he swam through the horde. "This doesn't make any sense… I don't know what's going on… ! This shouldn't be happening!"

"_You could be of use to me now, boy," _A voice with no owner echoed around him. He couldn't pinpoint who it belonged to. It was as if numerous voices were all speaking the same words at once.

The gate's creatures left him floating in silence. He took a breath.

Out from the obscurity, something tiny and red as a drop of blood was hurled at him. He started to dodge, but he knew that it would hit him in the chest and braced himself for the impact. Instead of bouncing off of him, however, it sank into his skin, and several others came flying. He couldn't think, breathe, or speak. Watching these… red stones… sink into his chest, stomach, arms, legs… A hand grabbed his shoulder from behind, and he lit up with strange red markings.

Darkness followed.

His golden eyes flickered slowly open, staring into the black ceiling above him. His throat felt strangely dry; his body felt hollow, dead. He wasn't sure if he wanted to move or not for fear of how his body would suffer. There was silence among him, an echoing emptiness that matched he himself.

(A/N: So, what do you think? This is my first FMA fic, and it's most likely gonna be kinda... long... yeaaah... Anyways, I know there's a movie, but I haven't seen it, so I'm doing my own FMA sequel, mixing in a few ideas from the unattainable game, Bluebird's Illusion, but different of course. Oh, and by the way, the new homunculi aren't named after the sins because they were not created by the sins of other people who used human transmutation -except for maybe Obsession, of course, but even she wasn't complete. Go easy on me. I know I might not have gotten everything down perfectly research wise and what not, but I hope you can bare with me and enjoy the story anyway. Thanks for reading. )


	2. Escape

Chapter 2: Escape

"YOU!" He shouted.

Envy was on his feet in a minute, charging him like a bull.

Ed rolled off of the table and hit the ground heavily. His right arm and leg shuddered with pain when they hit the stone floor. Doing his best to ignore the pain, he scrambled to his feet.

"You're not going anywhere!" Envy said, jumping over the table with ease and landing in front of him. "I'm putting you back through the gate!"

"I won't let you!" Ed punched the green-haired man in the face. "I'm likely to be eaten alive in there!"

"Why would this matter to me!" Envy kneed him in the stomach and then collided his own forehead with Edward's. He sank to the floor, unprepared for the blow. "I don't care if you get gobbled up."

Ed looked down at his two hands against the floor and wished stab the homunculus through so he could get away.

Envy lifted up his hand to grab him and put him 'back where he belonged' when the boy lit up with red light. Every mark on his body was glowing.

"What are you doing!" Envy yelled at him.

Ed looked up and the light disappeared without his notice. It was doubtful he'd even noticed it at all.

"Tell me why I'm here!" Ed demanded, pulling himself back on his feet. How he longed for a pair of clothes to wear… It was cold and damp-smelling in the room.

"You attacked me, you idiot! Why do you think…you're…here…" His anger subsided as he trailed off, meeting with a mark upon Edward's left shoulder, a mark that blended in so well with the others, he had not noticed it until now.

Edward noticed he was staring at his arm, and he raised an eyebrow at the gesture. He turned his head and moved his arm so that he could see it better, incidentally allowing Envy to see this mark better too. What he saw made his blood ice over.

That was the mark of the ouroboros.

The door blew off of its hinges and slammed against the far wall.

Ed turned in the direction of the doorway, panic apparent in his eyes. The terror only spread through his body at the sight of the familiar faces. "N… Nina?…" He choked. "Hughes?"

"Edward…?" Redemption whispered.

"Are you okay, Envy?" Heartbreak asked.

"Of course I'm fine!" Envy shouted, looking extremely infuriated that he even had to ask. "Who do you think I am?"

Ed felt his legs tremble beneath them, threatening to give. This was all too much, too soon… and he was somehow remembering less and less of what he was doing there in the first place, like a dream that was fading as he awoke.

Edward's vision swam as he took in each face too quickly.

"Step aside. I'm gonna finish him off," Envy shoved Heartbreak aside and stepped towards Ed.

Edward stumbled back slightly. He yelled for them to stay back somewhat incoherently and dodged Envy's attack.

"What's the matter?" Envy taunted. "Afraid!" He brought his hand forward and slammed it against Edward's face. "I'll kill you again… It'll be just like before…"

The memory of his death spilled into his head like water from a pitcher, slowly but steady. He gasped as it became clear to him.

Envy dug his fingers as deep into Edward's face as he could, bruising the skin slightly. "Maybe this time I'll rip your face off!" He yelled, almost too excitedly. "Then I'll let you see how ugly you are… Yeah… That's what I'll do!"

Edward's hand unconsciously flew up to Envy's neck. The fingers had turned black, and soon his entire arm up to the elbow was the same… Yet the red marks still remained.

Envy's hand dropped, and he stood there, staring at Edward with glazed-over, horrified eyes. "What the fuck are you doing?" He choked. Ed brought his other hand forward and socked him in the stomach, sending him against the opposite wall when his fingers released his neck.

"You hurt Envy!" Obsession shouted, sending icicles sharp as knives from her fingers toward Edward. He barely dodged them, one of them catching a few strands of his hair.

He shoved passed the group of three into the hall.

"Stop him!" Obsession yelled, stamping her foot so that the entire hallway turned to ice. Ed slipped and fell on his back but continued down the hall until he grabbed hold of the stair railing to keep from falling. He pulled himself, slipping and sliding to his feet, holding to the railing for dear life.

Envy meanwhile was stunned to find the creatures of the gate in the room with him, gnawing at his flesh. "Bastards!" He shouted, pulling them off of him. "How did he do that!"

"Get him!" Obsession shouted, running after him, completely unaffected by the ice below her. Heartbreak sighed, then jumped onto his hand, turning the hall back to stone, flipping and heading off after her.

Redemption watched them run. "I…" He whispered.

Envy emerged from the room, taking off down the hall without so much as a glance at him. "I'll KILL HIM! I'll make sure he never breathes again even on the other side! DAMN HIM!"

Obsession came at Edward, her hand consumed in a lethal icy point. Ed dodged her attacks to the best of his extent, considering that she was indeed smaller than him. "Stop it, Nina!" He shouted between his evasions. "Don't you remember me?"

"Remember you? What's there to remember?" She yelled with a smirk on her face until the two of them met eyes. "Edward?" She asked quietly, her eyes lighting up with the original sheen.

Before he could respond however, Heartbreak had made a punch at him. His dodge from this had caused him to slip and fall, rolling down the steps.

When he pushed his body against his arms, there was a stinging sensation on the right side of his forehead, and the feeling of warm, sticky blood was felt trickling down his face.

He could hear their voices at the top of the stairs, shouting. How he wanted to just close his eyes and lay there, but in the back of his mind he knew that he could not.

He crawled to a plum-colored curtain and took hold of it to help himself up, though for a moment, he just clutched to it.

He looked toward the steps in just enough time to see Envy coming at him, more livid than he'd ever seen him. Edward figured that at this point, his sentences would fail to be logical but would all include his dying as the subject.

In an attempt to move out of the way, Edward ripped the curtain down from the tall window and it tumbled down on top of him. As he found his way to the edge of the drape and peeked his head out, he saw the other three homunculi approaching them.

Envy brought down his fist for a blow to Edward's head when a sudden gust of wind sent him slipping backwards to the other side of the room.

Edward took this as his cue and got to his feet, pulling the curtain around him into a makeshift cloak.

"What did you do that for, idiot!" Envy shouted at Redemption, his eyes wide, and his teeth fanged.

"It was an accident!" Redemption cried, holding his hands up in defense. He watched Edward reach the door and held back a smile of victory.

After a yank or two on it, the door swung open only to reveal pitch blackness and pouring down rain. Thunder boomed over head, and lightning zapped parts of the sky. He looked back at them and caught Redemption's eyes.

He turned away and darted into the darkness.

"NO!" Envy shouted, running to the door.

"It's pointless," Redemption told him. "There's no way you'd find him in that darkness. You'll just get wet and angry… well, angrier. He can't get far in that mess. Just wait it out, and then you can get rid of him."

Yet truthfully… he knew that Edward could get away.

-

Edward stood at the edge of the stream, staring down into the water at his spattered reflection, the rain continuing to pelt his frame unceasingly. He remained there, feeling the cloth of the curtain stick to his naked body beneath, trying to clear his head. Finally, he waded into the water and shoved his way across. At the deepest part it barely went up to his chest.

Crawling onto the other side of the bank, he collapsed into the muddy, soggy grass. He gasped for air, feeling it burn against his lungs with the rain water that choked him. He hoisted himself up into a sitting position, staring toward the line of trees, a mere shadow against the sky.

There was no time for stopping, he knew. They could be following him… He got to his feet and continued through the forest behind him, the soaring trees only slightly shielding him from the searing wind and the stinging rain. Thunder boomed overhead, and volts of lightning danced across the clouds in crooked patterns.

He had no idea where he was going, but it was his only path away from the castle.

-

The high tower on the castle was round and small with windows that held no glass carved in half of the stone wall. On the side where the windows were not, torches were held in place, giving the room a warm but empty feel. There was a door in-between the two torches that led downstairs into the castle.

Redemption entered slowly and shut the door behind him. "I thought I'd find you up here."

The man under the right torch lowered his book and lifted his head to reveal the face of Scar, his red eyes gleaming with cat-like pupils. "I heard noises downstairs. Is the fool playing around again?"

Redemption chuckled, plopping down next to him. "You mean Envy? There was a mishap."

"A mishap? It sounded like a fight," He set his book down.

"You've been talking bitterly lately, Rebellion… Have you been thinking again?"

"Thinking? What else is there to do except rot?"

"Edward has been reborn."

"Bring out the parade," Rebellion responded sarcastically, scratching the ouroboros mark on his right wrist. "We'll drink and have a party."

"Sounds like fun," Redemption tittered.

"That sounds like the last person Envy would want to bring back."

"It was an accident, I believe. There's something different about him. Something must have happened when he was going through the gate."

"Like with you keeping your memories?" Rebellion asked, smirking.

"The walls have ears, Rebellion. You'd best keep your mouth shut."

"I can burn you to a crisp. Don't threaten me."

"I can send your fire hurdling back in your direction. Don't tell me what to do."

"Aren't you a clever one," Rebellion replied, emotionless. "So, the Fullmetal Alchemist has returned, but he's not the same. I don't see why this matters to us. I'd give anything to get out of this hellhole. Envy makes my blood boil."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Redemption said idly, examining and then chewing on his thumb nail. "His body was covered with these strange red markings."

"Well, he's long gone now, so I guess you can't ask him."

"I have a feeling we'll be seeing him again."

"Do you…?"

-

It felt like he'd been walking for an eternity since he'd become so tired by running. The darkness and the rain seemed to go on for ages, and he wondered if he was stuck in a loop or if maybe he was going in circles by mistake.

He pulled the soaking curtain, his only form of attire and shelter, more tightly over himself and shivered. Truthfully the thing was useless, except that it covered his shame.

By the time he reached town, what town he did not know, he was practically dragging his sore, aching feet through the grimy streets. He assumed that it was either late at night or early in the morning since nobody was on the street and all the lights in the houses were out. Of course, this could also be on account of the weather, but the darkness suggested otherwise as well. There was always one fool who would try to get somewhere in conditions like this, but now it seemed that only Edward himself was the fool.

The first place that had a dim light emanating from the window was a shop that looked like a bookstore. He pushed on the door slightly, and when it gave, he felt relief wash over him. Stepping inside, he felt the dry air chill him to the bone. He went no further into the store, but merely sat in front of the door and hugged his knees.

"I'm so cold…" He whispered, shivering. His voice trembled as he spoke. He felt nauseated.

Movement… he could hear someone shifting upstairs.

"Hello?" A familiar voice called, a body emerging at the bottom of the steps. "Is somebody there?"


	3. The Encounter

Chapter 3: The Encounter

"Who's there?" The voice asked more sternly.

Edward lifted his damp head, taking in the sight of the man before him. He was wearing brown pants with suspenders and a white button-down with rolled up sleeves. There was a pistol in his right hand. Golden hair sat on his head, and his coal-black eyes looked down upon him.

Ed couldn't believe his eyes.

"What do you want?" The man asked threateningly, pointing his gun at him.

"Russell?" He asked, amazed.

Russell was taken aback by this, lowering his weapon.

"Russell… Tringham?"

-

The bookstore held several shelves of books on nothing but alchemy, all piled on the right side of the store upon the wooden floor. There was a desk on the left littered with papers and other miscellaneous books on alchemy plus a cash register covered in dust. It didn't seem to be used often.

Up the stairs there was one floor with two twin beds on rickety, metal bed stands. There was a circular table in the middle of the room and two chairs. A makeshift kitchen was in the corner of the room with a black stove with coals burning inside for heat and several stacks of pots and pans thrown into a wooden bucket of soapy water. A window between the two beds revealed the horrible weather outside.

Russell placed two cups of coffee onto the table and sat across from Edward. Ed stared at the dark, swirling liquid as if it were some sort of poison.

"Drink it," Russell said, looking annoyed.

Edward took it in his hands, glancing at the bed where his brother, Fletcher, slept. He sipped it slowly. It burned his throat severely, and he dropped the glass which splattered coffee down his front and crashed to the floor, coughing and hacking.

"Hey, are you okay!" Russell exclaimed, rushing to him and putting his hand on his back.

"Fine…" He coughed, still rubbing his throat with his chilly fingers as if that would help. "I'm fine…" He stared down at the coffee stain, slowly spreading out onto the purple cloth that wrapped his body. It did not burn his cold body.

"Aw, damn! Get up, idiot!" Russell exclaimed, grabbing the cup fragments and setting them on the table. Edward stood as he was told to do. "Edward, what is up with you? You're not acting like yourself." He removed the curtain from Edward's shoulders.

A sense of modesty and shame that he had never had to this extent suddenly spilled over him like the coffee did. His naked form had never really bothered him much, since he'd considered it in a scientific aspect like everything he had done, but suddenly it was different.

"Ah, what is this?" Russell couldn't help but ask, gawking at the crimson marks that stood out on Edward's moon-white skin. Of course, the question came without surprise.

"I don't know…" He practically whispered, clutching himself, making sure his right hand covered the ouroboros on his left arm. He was horrified to think that maybe he had already seen it. Russell walked briskly across the room and gathered up a pair of black pants and suspenders and a gray button-down and set it before him.

"Put these on. I don't feel comfortable looking at a naked guy."

Edward wondered for a moment if he should ask for underwear, but that would be an awkward conversation, and he felt too exhausted to even bother.

"I don't understand… What happened to you, Edward?" Russell asked, pulling the blanket more tightly over his brother and stroking his hair slightly.

He was silent for a moment, pulling the suspenders over his shoulders. "I… don't know… I don't remember much… I did at first, but… it's gone now. The homunculi are after me."

He held out his hands and watched them, mesmerized at the way they shook. He blinked slowly and looked up at Russell, rolling up his sleeves so that they fit better and then working on his pants legs. "Why didn't your brother hear us talking?"

"He wears earplugs when he sleeps," Russell shrugged, pulling back the blankets on his own bed. "Climb in. You can sleep here tonight."

"I don't want to bother…"

"Just get in."

He didn't have the energy to argue. He padded to the bed and slipped himself between the sheets. Sleep immediately began to consume him, and he did all that he could to stay awake long enough to get information out of Russell.

"Where… will you sleep?" He asked, yawning.

"Don't let it bother you."

"…but…" His eyelids were sinking. His body for the first time was starting to feel warm. His mind had wiped away what he'd wanted to say. His head lolled to the side.

Russell stared at the sleeping Edward in deep seriousness. "What has become of you, Edward Elric…? You're not the same."

-

His body was calling out for something, though he wasn't quite sure what. It ached and sent chills as freezing as ice down to the tips of his fingers and toes. On the inside, he felt like he was rotting, and the red marks that plagued his skin felt as if they were on fire. He would scratch and claw at the burning, but his numb fingers held no response.

_I want it…I NEED IT… but what is it!_ He asked himself, reaching out into the darkness of his dreams.

'Poor boy… what is it, you wonder…'

That echoing of several voices… he'd heard that… in the gate…

His eyes flung open out of sheer terror. Why did he suddenly fear the gate so much? How many times had he visited that gruesome place?

He pulled the blanket up over his body again, assuming he'd kicked it off in the process of swimming away from his dream. Yes, swimming was the right word… He'd felt as if he'd been drowning in his pain and was now sick with the air in his throat. The thought of that forced him awake.

He lifted his upper body and sat for a moment, wondering where he was. Nobody was in the room, and the bed across from his where Fletcher had slept was empty now with covers strewn all over the place. He placed his feet on the floor and winced when he did. Lifting one foot to examine why a shot of pain had hit him, he saw large red blisters along the bottoms. It was stupid of him not to expect it. He had run and walked a long way in one night, how long he wasn't sure.

Forcing himself to eat through the pain, he fumbled his way to the door and opened it where he could hear Russell speaking incoherently with his brother whose voice had apparently changed since the last time they had met… and there was another voice as well…

Edward crept down the stairs a ways trying to be as silent as possible, only far enough to see into the room at the three men standing in the middle of the room. Thunder still rumbled outside, and in the back of his mind, Edward wondered if maybe they sky wept out of pity of his confusion, then quickly shoved the thought out of his mind. That was idle foolishness only written in children's faerie tale books, stories that he had never really believed. As far as he could tell though, the rain had stopped for the time being.

"I mean it, Tringham. You're acting incredibly suspicious."

Ed's eyes widened. He knew that voice… but from where? It was on the tip of his tongue.

"Suspicious? You're the one acting suspicious!" Russell shouted, obviously uncomfortable with interrogation. He wasn't very reliable under pressure, and Ed made a note to remember that in case he was ever in such a situation with him.

Edward tried to get a better look by dropping silently down another step, holding onto the railing.

"Did any homunculi come through here?"

"Would we be alive if they did?" Russell asked flatly. Edward was curious as to whether Fletcher could ever put in his two cents.

"I know you've been curious about them, Tringham. You want to know every nook and cranny of alchemy. You want to see how the homunculi tick."

Ed felt discomfort rain over him cold and heavy like last night's storm.

"I do nothing more than sell books on alchemy. Whether I read them or not before I do so is none of your business," Russell countered, his voice now a deadly calm.

"I have witness reports of strange lights and explosions coming from your shop at night."

"We have a faulty stove," Russell smirked, now humoring himself.

Edward could see the other man was wearing blue… was it the military uniform? He arched his neck out farther to see better.

"I don't have time for this…" The man in blue said tiredly, running a hand through his black hair. "I hope you do realize that I've taken time out of my day, out of my schedule to investigate here. None of my men even know where I'm at or what I'm doing, and I want you to cooperate."

"Are you saying that to make yourself look better for your promotion to Fuhrer, or am I just someone special to your attention?" Russell asked, batting his eyelashes.

Ed forced himself not to snicker. Russell was such a smart ass. One day that would probably be the end of him.

"I'm not playing around, Tringham. Have you seen anything suspicious or not?"

Edward started to move down another step to see better when his foot slipped. He yelped out of surprise and caught himself before he fell but the damage had been done. He heard the marching of feet away from Russell who was protesting and Fletcher who was trying to distract the man with alchemy.

Ed looked toward the man as he clambered up the steps at a quick pace. A gloved hand seized Edward's shirt and lifted him to meet eyes with the black-haired man.

"You…" The man in blue spoke in surprise after getting a good look at Ed.

"H-hello…" Ed said sheepishly, grinning slightly. "Nice to see you again, Mustang. Can I be so bold as to ask you why you're wearing an eye patch, sir?"

"Edward Elric!"

Ed half smiled. "Put me down."

Roy set the smaller boy on his feet. He winced as his blisters touched the floor.

"I… I don't understand it…" Roy said breathlessly. "You're supposed to be…"

Edward's skin crawled just thinking of the word, and he hadn't even said it.

"Dead."

He forced himself to look relaxed, placing his hands on his hips. "I'm full of surprises, aren't I?" He glanced at Russell. For some reason he had paled slightly. It wasn't long until he discovered why.

"So," Roy asked promptly, leading Edward down the stairs with his hand against his back. "Tringham… How exactly did you bring Edward here back?"

"What!" Russell exclaimed. "I DIDN'T!"

"Rumors have been flying that there have been homunculi appearing. Did you-"

"Did I what? I haven't done anything!" Russell shouted.

"YEAH!" Fletcher added in, his voice squealing slightly. Apparently it hadn't completely finished its transition.

"Don't lie to me, boy," Roy said, staring into Russell's eyes with such intensity that Russell himself felt smaller and weaker.

"I came here last night."

Roy's gazed turned to Edward, a child-like curiosity on his features.

"I came here last night and he let me stay. He hasn't done anything. He doesn't know a thing about me, why I'm here, or where I came from before."

Roy was silent for a moment. "Then-"

"Why don't you tell me first as to what you're doing here, Colonel?" Ed asked, raising an eyebrow. He was beginning to remember and regain some of the bitterness he had for his ex-boss. Sure, he was generally a good guy but…

Roy eyed Edward suspiciously.


	4. Russell and Mustang

Chapter 4: Russell and Mustang

There was a small coffee shop a few buildings down from Russell's shop. The four boys Roy, Russell, Fletcher, and Edward all sat at a small round table near the window of the street, Roy enjoying a glass of black coffee.

"You sure you don't want anything?" Russell asked Edward.

"I'm fine, thank you…" He mumbled, staring at his fists folded in his lap. For some reason, he felt extremely out of place in public.

"I guess I'll get right down to business, eh, Fullmetal? It's pretty much pointless to argue with someone as hardheaded as you, especially since I'm too tired to give a damn," Roy stated, setting down his half-empty mug.

Fletcher looked at the serious faces of each man and stood, his chair scooting back. "I'm going to pick out a piece of cake." He hurried away.

Edward and Roy stared each other down for a moment, and then Roy sighed. "You wonder why I'm here, Fullmetal? For one, this is Central City. I live here and work here. Why I'm in this particular part is because there have been several reports of strange creatures we believe to be homunculi wandering around. There have already been seven reported deaths."

Ed nodded. "I see…"

"Now, why are you here?"

"I'm kind of curious myself," Russell added in, placing his cheek on his fist.

Ed was silent for a moment, fiddling with his hands a bit.

"Well?" Roy asked impatiently.

"I… I don't know…" He admitted, flushing in embarrassment. "I really don't."

Roy sighed in exasperation, rubbing his temples. "Damn it… I was hoping you'd crawled out from the rock you were hiding under to pursue the homunculi. I was hoping you'd have information."

Ed looked up at Roy and opened his mouth to spill out the information he knew, but suddenly stopped himself. Remembering the faces of the new homunculi, he realized that Mustang, no matter how proud, would be crushed to find out his deceased best friend had returned as one of those… creatures…

"I'm sorry…" Ed muttered, masking his reason for the apology.

"I can't exactly blame you," Roy shrugged. "I mean, it's been difficult for my best men to find even a trace."

Edward was silent.

"You okay? You're kinda pale," Russell said, raising an eyebrow at Ed.

"I'm fine," Edward said. "Why?"

Russell leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table. "I dunno," He told him lazily. "You've been acting weird since you got back. Where have you been anyways? I bet your brother's been worried sick."

"Alphonse!" Edward exclaimed, standing. He was ashamed of himself for not thinking of him sooner.

"So, where were you?" Roy asked, refusing for the subject to stray.

"I…" Ed began, wondering if he should lie… He was never a very good liar. Manipulation was one of his skills, but flat out lying was another story. "I was… in Germany."

"Ger-man-ee?" Roy sounded out. "I've never heard of it."

"Neither have I," Russell said. "Where is it? It's not on any of my maps."

Edward hesitated. "It's… on the other side… of the gate…" He finally said, barely above a whisper.

"What!" Roy cried, standing. Russell lost his balance and fell over.

Edward was silent.

"Explain!" Roy shouted, causing looks from several other customers, Fletcher included.

"I can't…" Edward shook his head.

"You mean you won't!" Roy bellowed, snatching Edward up by the collar of his shirt.

"You're right," Edward smirked stubbornly, though there was slight panic in his eyes. "I won't. What happens to me is none of your business any more, Colonel, sir!" Edward kicked the taller man in the knee like a child would, and Roy released him.

Ed crumpled to the floor while Roy seethed in pain.

Russell recovered from his own fall and grinned nervously at the crowd around him. "Ah… we'll be going now… Come on, Fletcher."

"Ah… yes, big brother," Fletcher hastily followed with a piece of lemon cake in his hands. Fletcher led Roy and Edward out onto the street where people were just starting to populate.

"You're both idiots!" Russell cried, tousling his own blonde hair. "Can't you remember where you are?"

"You're not exactly one of class, Russell," Ed replied dully, scratching the back neck.

Russell glowered at him. "Hey… shut up…"

Ed rolled his eyes. "So, what are you going to do now, Mustang? Try to kick my ass? I don't think you have the ability, or the guts to do so in public for that matter. You have a peaceful reputation to keep now, don't you?"

Roy hissed through his teeth, wincing with rage, but he didn't move. After it died away, he sighed. "I want you to join up with the military again."

"What?" Ed asked, shocked. "No way! Why should I!"

"I promise a good pay, and I'll get you train tickets to anywhere you need to go, including Resembool."

Edward raised his eyebrows with interest. Why was Roy so eager for him to be a state alchemist again? It was obvious he had ulterior motives, but at the moment, the offer was too good for him to refuse.

"You've peaked my interest," He said.

-

It wasn't long before Roy had left to do all that was necessary to reinstate Edward. Ed on the other hand stayed at Russell's, sifting through his alchemy books.

"It's weird how fate can just pick back up where it left off," Ed commented, closing a book.

"What's the gate like?" Russell asked, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. Ed didn't remember seeing him sit down on the floor across from him. He must have been preoccupied.

"Why?"

"I'm curious."

The look in his eyes admitted a lot more than mere curiosity, but Ed doubted that him knowing the information would harm him. After all, he did owe him something for showing him hospitality.

"It's… horrible…" Edward said. "There are shadow creatures that dwell within who rip you apart… It's endless darkness, and all you can feel is pain… There are voices… then a light… and you show up on the other side."

Russell's eyes dazzled with amazement. "Wow… and Germany is on the other side?"

"It depends," Ed shrugged, grabbing another book, "I suppose. I wasn't even originally in Germany. The first time I went through during my battle against Dante, I ended up in London with my father."

"Lun-dun?" Russell whispered.

"Yeah…" Ed caught glimpse of Fletcher spying on them at the top of the stairs from the corner of his eye.

"So, how did you get back through?" Russell asked.

Edward fell silent, going over the events in his mind. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Ah, oh, come on!"

"No…"

Russell pouted, then shrugged. "Okay. If you don't want to talk about it, it's all right. Tell me about the other side."

"You can't use alchemy there. Their sciences progressed in another way; chemistry and physics and the like."

"That must have been horrible!"

"It wasn't so bad," Ed shrugged. "I was actually relieved for a break, and their sciences were quite interesting actually. There were many complicated formulas that led to some… interesting experiments. I will say that I enjoy alchemy better though. It's not as likely I'll make a mistake."

"Interesting still… I'd love to see the other side, if only for a moment."

Ed glared at him. "Don't be stupid. You'd have to die to see the other side. Stop talking like a fool."

"I didn't mean anything by it, I swear!" Russell responded defensively. "I was just saying that it must be interesting."

"Trust me, you're a lot better off over here," Edward replied, stacking the books next to him up and standing, carrying them to their original spot. "Things here are much more peaceful."

"What's going on in Germany?"

Ed was silent for a moment, placing a book back on a shelf. "…You don't want to know."

Russell watched him curiously for a moment until the bell on the door jingled, forcing him to turn his head.

"Err- welcome to the Tringham Alchemy Manuscript Shop!" He cried, getting to his feet and running around a shelf only to meet with Roy Mustang. "Oh, it's you…" He said dully.

"Edward, everything is in order. You're coming with me now."

Ed walked out from behind the shelves. "Now?"

"What's wrong with now?" Roy asked.

"The sun's going down," Ed shrugged. "I don't want to walk in the dark."

"His feet are blistered as it is," Russell pointed out.

Edward slipped one foot out of Russell's shoe and showed the bottom of it to Roy. "How did you get those?" Roy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I walked… a long way," Ed said simply, placing his foot back in his shoe, "and I wasn't wearing shoes…" He marched back up the steps to the room. He obviously wasn't going to leave until he felt like it.

"All right," Roy got up in Russell's face and spoke barely above a whisper. "The boy is stupid, but he isn't that foolish. Where were his shoes when he came here last night?"

"He wasn't wearing any," Russell replied. "In fact, he wasn't wearing much of anything at all. He was wrapped in some sort of weird purple cloth. That was all he had on him. He seemed a bit absent minded last night, but it seems he's returning to normal now that he's in company of people he knows."

Roy stared curiously up the stairs. "Was there anything else strange?"

Russell's mind immediately went to the red marks that plagued the boy's body. What were those? He didn't know, and he certainly didn't want to trust Roy with that information.

"No."

Roy shrugged. "All right then." He backed up. "Now I know something for sure."

"What's that?" Russell asked.

"That you won't hesitate to lie to me."

Russell stumbled backward, surprised. "I… I wasn't lying!" He sputtered.

Roy rolled his eye. "This is why I hate talking to you… You think you can outwit me, you disrespect me, and you hide things from me."

"Whatever is wrong or right with Edward is no more your business than mine. The fact that I happened to have seen doesn't mean I have a right to tell you. You'll have to ask him yourself."

Roy stared him down for a moment and sighed. "Another reason… you're stubborn as hell… and persuasive… Fine."

The Colonel marched up the steps, passing the petrified Fletcher and entered the upstairs room. Fletcher rushed down as soon as the door was closed and went to his brother.

"Russell…" Fletcher whimpered. "That man scares me…"

"He no one to be afraid of…" Russell replied gravely, staring up after him. "Pretty soon, I'm afraid you might just see why."

-

Edward acknowledged Roy's presence in the room with a glance while he made the bed he had slept in. There was never anything wrong with common courtesy.

"If you have any secrets, tell me now, so they won't get you arrested later," Roy said firmly.

Edward didn't look at him as he answered lazily, "Whether I have secrets or not is a secret itself…"

"Where did you come from?" Roy asked sternly, beginning to feel agitated at the hard-headedness of his companion.

"I don't have to tell you anything. You're getting awfully big headed, Colonel, sir, thinking that just because you pry I'll answer. I might have rejoined the military, but never again will I be your dog."

He turned around and faced him, tucking a loose strand behind his ear. "Don't even think you can tie me up on a leash."

"You're one of those little yapper dogs, aren't you," Roy said blandly, leaning against the wall.

"LITTLE!" Ed shouted, then managed to control himself before he jumped Mustang and attempted to injure him. His face though was still heated with his rage while they descended the stairs.

Russell grabbed Edward's arm once they had exited the shop. "Uh… Mustang, sir, allow me to say goodbye to Ed," He said sheepishly, grinning. Ed raised an eyebrow, knowing that Russell wasn't the type to be all mushy with goodbyes, especially since Edward could most likely visit the shop at his leisure.

Roy shrugged him off and got in the car to wait.

Ed was dragged far enough away so that Roy couldn't easily hear what they were saying.

"Edward," Russell said, taking his shoulders in his hands. "Please, write down everything you know about alchemy and the gate and the other side and send it to me. I don't care if it's significant or not."

"What?" Ed queried. "Why would you need me to do that?"

"I'm…" He trailed off, as if trying to find the right words to say. "I'm… doing an investigation of my own… on the homunculi. Your information could be an asset to me finding them and getting rid of them."

"You've got to be insane," Ed shook his head. Boy, would Russell flip if he knew that Edward already knew exactly where they were, and how they could be defeated.

"Ed, I really need it… Not just for that, but because I want to know it all. I want to publish my own thoughts in a book to sell. People have the right to know what awaits them on the other side!"

"If people found out what was on the other side and what happened after that, they'd go crazy. I don't want people running around trying to find out how to create immortality because they don't want to face a completely different life through the gate. They have the right to know, but it's not our job to let them know."

"-but-"

"Concentrate on taking care of yourself," Ed patted his shoulder, "and more importantly, of Fletcher. You're all each other has, and it won't last forever…" The words he spoke rang in his ears with the memory of Alphonse's voice.

Russell seemed very disappointed with his answer but sighed in submission. "All right… Just… come by once in awhile and share your thoughts with me sometimes, okay?"

"That," Edward grinned, "I can do."

The two boys shook hands. Edward exhaled through his nostrils and smiled. "See you soon," He said.

"I'm looking forward to it… bean sprout."

"BEAN SPROUT!"


	5. Central

Chapter 5: Central

Looking out at Central City's street during the drive back to headquarters, Edward couldn't help but marvel at how different it looked. Nobody seemed to be down or out of luck. There was no poverty. The streets were paved smoothly, the buildings shone as if they were brand new, women shopped, men ate lunch before returning to work, and children played on the sidewalk. Everything looked fresh and alive, no longer plagued with the constant war Fuhrer Bradley had placed upon them. It was a welcome change.

Riza Hawkeye was sitting in the backseat with Edward while Roy had taken up the front seat with the driver. Edward wondered if she was timeless, for she had not changed at all, except that her hair had grown ever longer. She still sat up straight, she still war the military uniform, and she still had that same somber look on her face as always, though her eyes had softened a bit.

"What's happened to the city?" Ed asked. "It looks a lot better than the last time I saw it."

"Fuhrer Bradley is gone," Riza explained promptly. "In fact, the Fuhrer doesn't have main control anymore, though he is still a respectable object of power."

"Who's the Fuhrer now?" Edward inquired.

"As of tomorrow, I am," Roy answered rather smugly, a smirk wide on his face.

"So much for the city," Ed replied dully, knowing it would set him off.

Roy grumbled and said nothing more.

"So, who keeps this place clean like this?"

"The military does, of course," Riza said simply. "We've made leaps and bounds in improvements over the past three years."

Edward turned in his seat, half interested, asking, "Like what?"

"Well, for one, we have all of our state alchemists as a fleet in our army. They still have more freedom than the others, but they don't just go wandering like you did. If they are called upon, they have to be here. They have to take several special tests, and often they must stay in the military headquarters in the rooms we had built. Any information they find is to be reported back to us."

Ed stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "Let me guess. I'm going to have to do all that, right? You want me to be a state alchemist again?"

"It really depends. We have deep faith in your abilities, Mr. Elric," Riza replied, folding her long-fingered hands in her laps.

"Mr.?" He chuckled, a smile coming across his face. "That makes me sound old!"

-

If there was one thing in the city that had not changed, it was the military headquarters. There was another building built off to the right side but that was the only thing about the scenery that was remotely different, and it wasn't too obvious considering the size of the main building in comparison.

The car pulled up in front of the building and stopped. Edward was surprised to see the door opened for him, and he got out. He blushed a little in embarrassment as he watched them shut the door behind him and Riza.

"Err… thank you…" Edward mumbled, scratching his neck.

"Enough formalities, let's get a move on," Roy said, shoving him up the steps.

"Go to hell," Ed replied without as much resentment as he wanted. He decided that he was too tired to care. "So, what do I have to do?"

"We're going to get you out of those clothes," Riza told him. "They're too big."

"Wonderful, because I've been just ACHING to get into that military uniform," Edward replied sarcastically. His attitude surprised even him. Sure, he knew he was moody, he admitted to that, but for some reason, he was acting much more bitter than usual… He felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. "Err… sorry… just… tired…" He muttered meekly.

Riza took him off down a right hall while Mustang continued in a different direction. "We'll get you any outfit you desire."

"Uh… yeah… something like my old one will be just fine…" He mumbled.

She stopped him outside of another hall that was lit by many windows on the right wall. "Wait here," She told him.

He stood there as she walked away and waited for awhile. There was only the echo of footsteps and voices of other military officers to occupy the silence, and then there was no noise. He rose up and down on his toes a few times, feeling more uncomfortable by the moment. He was never not doing anything, and he didn't currently have anything to do with his hands. It was driving him insane… yes, that was it… or was it… that he was feeling incredibly insecure with himself right now. Where he woke up, what was becoming of his attitude, that hunger for something without the ability to eat, and those red marks that plagued his frame… particularly the one on his left shoulder… He was quite uneasy, but he wouldn't… he couldn't accept that he was… one of them…

"Edward," A stern voice said, making him jump. He hadn't been paying attention.

"What?" He yelped, still a little shaken.

Riza handed him a pile of clothing that looked incredibly similar to his old pair. "Where'd you get these?" He asked.

"It's a pair of Alphonse's clothes. He left them here the last time he reported in," Riza replied simply. "There's a bathroom at the end of the hall. Change in there and meet me here." She set a pair of boots identical to his old pair on top of the pile in his arms.

Unable to say anything else with his thoughts lingering on Alphonse, he turned and headed down the hall.

-

The bathroom was almost all white and quite cramped considering the size of the building. There was no bath or shower. It was just a place to wash hands and do business.

He set his new clothing on the counter and began to strip out of Russell's pair. As soon as he was free of that, he found himself looking in the mirror at those horrible red markings.

The unsettling feeling he'd had before began crept back into his stomach. He quickly pulled on the black pants and tank top. He strapped on his belt and boots and lastly pulled his black, zip-up jacket over his arms. He remembered when he had a jacket like this one… It was a long time ago, back when he first met Rose and fought Cornello… This time he zipped it up all the way to the top, unable to bear looking at the markings on his neck.

He yanked his gloves on as he exited the bathroom.

Riza, ever so prompt, was standing exactly where he had left her. He approached her with his hands in his pockets. "Now what?" He asked blandly, feeling a yawn coming on. A lot had gone through his mind that day.

"I will show you to your room. Follow me."

Ed shrugged a bit and trailed her out the door and to the building that had been added.

Now that he was actually taking in the sight, he realized that there were several men sitting outside, dressed in casual clothing. A few were playing card games while others were just talking or drawing alchemy circles in the dirt and practicing.

"Who are…" Edward began.

"Our fleet of state alchemists," Riza replied, a sense of pride in her voice. "They're the greatest alchemists on Amestris. The ones here have chosen to stay here instead of traveling like your brother."

"Oh, Alphonse is-"

"Did you expect any less?"

Ed smiled and shook his head. "No. I suppose I didn't."

Riza looked out over the boys, checked on the clipboard she was carrying, and lifted her head again. "Desoria, Vincent?" She called.

"Right here!" A voice replied.

Ed watched a boy hop up from under a near by tree. He held in one hand a knife, and in the other there was a piece of wood that was partly whittled into some sort of object. The boy saluted as he approached.

He had blue hair, obviously dyed since his eyebrows were black, and it was long but spiky. He'd taken the long strand and tied it back with a red ribbon, wrapping it all the way down so that only a little fringe stuck out at the end, halfway down his back. His eyes were gray but lively. He wore a red button-down with the sleeves rolled up right below his elbows. His pants were black as well as his shoes. "What's the problem?" He asked.

"Where's your roommate?" Riza asked.

"Where do you think? In the room!" Vincent replied, laughing. "He never comes outside. What do you need, Hawkeye, ma'am?"

"I have your third roommate here with me."

Ed looked at Riza skeptically. He'd assumed he wouldn't have to cram himself in a room with two other people. He assumed there would be enough room in the building. He decided to never assume anything again.

"I don't know about that, Hawkeye, ma'am… I mean Whyte doesn't even like me."

"Whyte, Luke… Yes, he has a reputation for silence, doesn't he. He enjoys his solitude…"

Edward didn't like the way this was going.

"Hey, ah…" Edward butted in. "There aren't all that many people here… couldn't I just get a room to myself?"

Riza raised an eyebrow. "All the rooms have been given to alchemists."

"Then… let me stay in Al's room," Ed suggested. He was determined to be alone. He didn't want anyone to see him… the way that he was… those marks…

"Al's room is reserved especially for him on the second floor. No one is supposed to…"

"Hey, I'm his brother. He'll let me stay. He won't mind, right? Come on."

"What's wrong with our room?" Vincent asked innocently.

"Nothing!" Ed exclaimed, waving a hand at him. "I just… you know… prefer my privacy."

Vincent mulled over the thought in his head, then nodded. "I totally understand. That's cool, I guess."

Ed looked to Riza for approval.

She sighed. "Follow me."

He sighed in relief.

"I'll escort you, Hawkeye, ma'am," Vincent said, walking next to them, forming a neat little line from tall to short.

Edward knew from the look on Vincent's face that he must have had a thing for Riza.

The building inside had the same color scheme as Headquarters. The halls were filled with door after door. Vincent continued with them until they were stopped in the middle of the hall when a door opened.

A man stood, his red eyes watching them with scorn. His snow white hair hung in his eyes and over his shoulders, and his skin was almost as pale as his hair. As if to make things worse, he wore all white; a pair of sweat pants and an open white button-down. He didn't have any shoes on.

"Whyte…" Vincent said slowly with surprise.

He caught eyes with Edward. "Do not listen to him…" He said with an accent that Ed couldn't identify. "I am Luke. The last name is rather cruel. It is almost like it is pointing out that I am albino."

The man's eyes were cruel, and he did not smile. Edward wondered what could have happened to him to make him this way.

Riza took Edward's arm. "We have to be somewhere," Riza told them both, pulling Ed along. "Good afternoon to you both."

"Guess she didn't want me tagging along," Vincent pouted.

Luke Whyte returned to his room without a word.

-

"Wow…" Edward breathed. "Alphonse gets special treatment… This is amazing…"

Alphonse's room was the only one on the second floor and twice the size of the others from what he could tell. It was furnished with fine bedding chairs, and three bookshelves and a desk. There was a bathroom on the right wall and a window on the back wall above the bed. Two lamps on either side of the bed lit the room, and on the desk were two books and a notebook. On the bookshelves were several alchemy books, a few that Ed had noticed and flipped through at Russell's shop, and notebooks stuffed with papers.

"I will come and get you for breakfast in the morning," Riza told him, then shut the door.

Edward stared at the door, then sighed flopping down on the bed. He sighed in content, kicking his shoes off. "This is not bad… not bad at all…"

He shut his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

He stood and pulled off his socks, jacket, and belt, then crawled under the covers. "Man… I'm tired…"

He shut his eyes and sighed, feeling as his body slowly relax. His mind numbed, and consciousness slowly slipped away from him.

His last thought was of those horrible marks.


	6. The Unbearable Burden

Chapter 6: The Unbearable Burden

A faint pounding noise became louder. He only opened his eyes when he realized the noise was coming from his door, not his head.

Lifting his head, he stared at the door, for a moment trying to remember where he was. He slept much too deeply these days. He would wake up forgetting things. It was not a good habit for an alchemist.

Ed stumbled to the door and peeked one eye out. "It's breakfast time," Riza said seriously, as if it was some sort of top secret mission. "You should head to the mess hall in the main building right away."

"Uh… right…" Ed replied, yawning. "Yeah, I'll go there."

Riza marched off.

Edward turned back to his room and picked his jacket up off the floor, slipping it on and zipping it up. He fumbled with his hair for a few minutes, trying to braid it, but lacking patience, he instead pulled it into a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

He headed down towards the main building, and his head began to clear.

"Hey, you, boy!"

It was Vincent from yesterday. He greeted with a wave as he approached. "You look like you haven't slept at all."

"I did," He said. "I'm just not awake yet."

Vincent didn't leave. "You know, this whole place has been buzzing about you. I heard rumors about you. They say you're supposed to be dead. Weird, ne?"

"Yeah," Ed replied, absent of enthusiasm. "Weird."

"You must be one of those fellows who doesn't go down without a fight. Me personally… well, I just plain don't like to fight. I leave that up to my partner, Whyte."

"He prefers to be called Luke, right?" Ed questioned.

"Yeah. That's why I don't call him Luke. I like driving him batty, ha-ha! Besides, he needs to loosen up. He'll go psycho if he doesn't."

"The way he glares at people, I thought he already was… Where's he?"

"He prefers to sleep in," Vincent shrugged. "Not a fan of breakfast. Too loud."

Ed rubbed his eye with his fist to vanish the sleep from it. His legs panged a bit still from his run the other day.

"You sure you're okay?" Vincent asked. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," Ed growled through his teeth. Truth be told, he was starving. Even getting up that morning, he could tell that he'd lost a little bit of weight from the lack of eating and all the running around he'd been doing. He'd had to put another notch in his belt, and he barely had the energy to hold his head up.

-

The mess hall was loud and overcrowded with men. Some chewed with their mouths open, some talked with their mouths full, and others just plain talked and laughed loudly. It was irritating Edward to no end as a migraine began forming.

Vincent had INSISTED that Edward sit with him, and after the blue-haired boy chatted with him for ten minutes, Luke appeared, looking just as tired as Edward and twice as annoyed.

"You join us for breakfast, I see," Vincent chuckled. "What may I ask did you crawl out of your blanket grave for?"

"I wanted to see if Blondie here was going to eat…" Luke said intriguingly, looking directly into Edward's eyes. "I'm suspicious of you."

"Talk about blunt," Vincent said. "Hey, man, Ed's cool! He just doesn't eat breakfast. You don't either. That doesn't make you weird. Everything else does, though."

Ed felt uncomfortable under his gaze. This man… his eyes didn't seem human. He felt like they were boring into his mind. He felt like this man was all-seeing… He knew Ed's gifts, his faults… and he knew what he was… It was maddening… He'd never felt like this around another person before.

"You look uncomfortable," Luke smirked, his eyes dancing. He was enjoying Edward's discomfort! What kind of man was this?

"Well, stop staring at me," Ed replied, trying to sound calm.

"Maybe you just do not have the energy. I'll get you something to eat," He stood, his smirk still dancing upon his face.

Ed thought back to that cup of coffee… perhaps it had just been hot… He'd been so paranoid about himself for the past few days that he didn't trust himself to do anything!… but he needed to eat… He'd die if he didn't…

Luke dropped a plate in front of Ed, covered with pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Ed looked at Luke, then down at the food, then back at Luke.

"Go ahead and eat…" Luke said, then leaned his chin onto his hands. "Fullmetal."

Vincent spit out what he was eating. "WHAT?! You're THAT Edward?!"

"Of course," Luke replied for him. "Though I find it rather odd that the Fullmetal Alchemist who's supposed to be dead is not only walking among the living… but no longer has his metal limbs…"

"Ooh, really?" Vincent asked in excitement, grabbing Ed's right arm

"No! Let go!" Ed yelped, trying to jerk away his arm.

"Huh?" Vincent asked. "What are these markings?"

Ed felt as if his blood had frozen over.

Luke's eyes danced with glee. He was enjoying this almost too much.

"N… nothing…" Ed mumbled, unable to speak louder than that. His face showed utter tranquility though his composure was quickly slipping under the surface. He yanked his arm away. "Just a tattoo."

Ed took hold of the fork on the plate and scooped up a large bite of food. "No worries," Ed smirked, shoving it into his mouth.

"Vin! Luke!" A military officer ran to the table. "The Lieutenant is looking for you. Something about the initiation ceremony this afternoon!"

Luke growled, getting up, and Vincent followed.

As soon as they were gone, Ed spit out the food, feeling his mouth burning just like his throat did the night before. He'd figured as much… Now he was sure that he couldn't eat real food anymore… but what was he going to eat?!

He got up and tossed his uneaten breakfast in the garbage and turned to head out. There was no reason to stick around after all…

-

"Damn it…" Russell mumbled, laying on the counter with his head propped up on the cash register. "I wish Ed would have told me more about the other side and stuff…"

"Big brother… You're really into alchemy these days…" Fletcher mumbled, placing more new books onto the shelves.

"Well, yeah, duh, Fletcher," Russell replied.

"No… I mean… maybe a bit… too much…"

"What do you mean?" Russell asked, raising up, glaring.

"It's… it's just that alchemy is all you talk about, all you think about, Russell!" Fletcher whimpered. "It's an obsession, and normally I wouldn't mind, but I know that you've constantly thought of crossing the line in the rules!"

"As if you haven't."

"No, I haven't! The closest I've got is screwing with the red water, Russell!" Fletcher shouted. "I know you've thought of the forbidden practices, and you're itching to try it, despite knowing the consequences!"

"That's not true!" Russell replied angrily, jumping to his feet. "Don't think you can read my mind, Fletcher!"

"I can't read your mind, Russell, but your eyes make it so incredibly obvious! They're so dark when you think like that!" Fletcher's voice squeaked as he yelled.

"You're wrong…" Russell muttered, eyes downcast.

"I'm not…" Fletcher whispered, unable to be heard by his brother. He turned away, tears in his eyes and went back to work.

Russell stomped up the stairs and slammed the door.

-

"Oh, this is too good!" Envy fell out laughing from his spot on the roof. "They're assigning that idiot to the job of Fuhrer! They're even setting up an award ceremony outside! This is going to be so fun!"

"We're gonna attack the military?" Redemption asked, horrified.

"They'll never expect it!" Obsession giggled with delight.

Rebellion looked to Redemption lack of emotion, just eyeing his expression.

"This'll be a blast," Envy said maliciously. "I'm looking forward to it…" He lifted up his bag of red stones and poured some into his hand.

Ed felt every mark on his body feel like they'd set on fire. He froze in the mess hall's doorway, unable to move. The only thing preventing him from screaming out in pain was his determination to not be discovered. The pain didn't subside as he'd hoped, but instead grew in intensity until his vision was flashes of black and red, and he couldn't hear anything.

He vaguely remembered blurred faces and the sound of someone screaming in the distance… and then all went quiet and dark.

When he came to, he was curled up on the floor, surrounded by military men. His whole body ached, and he felt exhausted.

"Fullmetal," Roy's voice caught to his ear as the soon-to-be Fuhrer came through the throng of military dogs and knelt down next to him. Edward just stared at him, not trusting himself to speak. Roy turned and barked some orders at the men, and they quickly dissipated in a fit of whispers.

Roy grabbed Edward and lifted him off the ground. Ed slowly began to get his thoughts back in order as he was carried out of the room over Roy's shoulder like a potato sack.

"Hey…" He said in a scratchy voice once his thoughts cleared, "Put me down…" Even though he was unsure if he could walk, he was still too stubborn to allow Roy to cart him around like a child… and he'd be damned if he'd mention anything about him that was childish.

Roy set Ed on his feet, then crossed his arms, glaring with his one eye. "What the hell is your problem, Fullmetal?!" He shouted furiously.

Ed put his hands in his pockets. How was he supposed to answer that? He didn't even remember what happened. "Uh…" was all he could say before Roy started again.

"What are you trying to pull, you idiot? I hear you scream bloody murder and find you writhing on the floor, and all you say is uh?!"

Ed was silent.

"Answers, Fullmetal," Roy growled.

"I thought I told you that it's none of your business…" Edward said, too tired to put any bite into his voice.

"If I find one of my men seizing on the mess hall floor, you don't think it's my right to make it my business?!"

Ed kept his eyes downcast. If he looked up at Mustang right now, he just might break. All the thoughts and feelings that had been haunting him for the past few days, and now this, were boiling over, leaving him nauseated and lost.

"You dumbass," Roy snarled.

Ed felt his stomach lurch in the need of what he did not know. His hands trembled in his pockets.

"Leave me alone… I came here because you wanted me here, and if you don't want me hear anymore, I'll just go," Ed finally responded, calmly but sternly.

Roy sighed, defeated. "What the hell is the matter with you, Elric? You've always been reserved, but never quite this much. You've become so enigmatic that it's almost as if… you're not even human."

The words burned like skin to a hot stove. He forced himself to hold his poker face, even though his mind had lost it's stability.

"I have my reasons, **_Fuhrer sir_**," He replied acidly. "I'd prefer if you'd stop trying to pry into my personal affairs."

"I will for now… but if it happens again, I'm not going to let it slip by unnoticed. Got it?"

Ed gave a slight chuckled and marched off, giving Roy the finger.

Roy grinded his teeth, turned on his heel, and walked in the opposite direction. "Frustrating little bastard…" He grumbled.

Edward headed out of the building. As he traveled across the yard, he watched military folk setting up for Roy's ceremony. They would stop, stare, and whisper about him when they saw him.

Ed sighed, unaffected. "What's the deal with that idiot?" Ed wondered, referring to Roy. "Is a fancy ceremony really all that necessary to help his ego boost?… Ah well…" He entered the dormitory for the state alchemists, headed up the steps, and locked himself in his room.

Yanking off his shoes, he crawled back under the covers and bent his knees up to his chin.

He took in a deep breath after a moment, and suddenly tears were rolling down his face. _The pain…the unbearable burden…why me?!_ He sobbed in silence until he fell asleep. The last thought in his mind…

_When was the last time I cried like this?…did I ever…?_


	7. The Attack

Chapter 7: The Attack

BAM. BAM. BAM.

Ed opened his eyes, then closed them again, moaning. He wasn't in the mood for this.

After listening to it for a few more minutes, he finally got up and shuffled across the room. It felt like every muscle in his body had been pulled out of place.

He opened the door a crack and peeked out.

One lower level military man that Edward had occasionally seen passing by was standing at the door, holding a pile of blue cloth in his hands. "Mr. Elric," He said somewhat nervously. "The Fuhrer requests that you put this on and come down to his initiation ceremony. He wants you to be there."

Ed took the uniform from him and looked from it to the man for a few moments. "I'll be there… but I'm not wearing this…"

"No sir, they won't let anyone in without a uniform or a special pass written by Mustang himself."

Ed sighed and grumbled. "He really thinks that'll keep the homunculi out? Idiot. I'll be there in a minute."

The man saluted and left. Ed rolled his eyes. He was no man of power in this military.

-

If Edward's mood was bad before, it had certainly worsened by the time he exited the dormitory in a military uniform that was too big by just enough that he was sure it was noticeable. Roy did stuff like that on purpose, Ed was sure of it. Especially after he'd pissed him off in the hall earlier…

Edward moaned, knowing he'd brought it on himself.

When he approached the gate, he was met by a man who observed him and identified him before he was able to go to the other part of the yard that had been set up with a humongous stage, enough chairs to sit the entire military and even their families, and tables upon tables of finger foods and punch.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Give me a break, Mustang… Let's just be as indiscreet as possible."

There were so many people… all of them dressed nicely and always with a state alchemist or military man. He assumed they were family members.

Ed shoved his hands into his pockets and headed towards the stage. He needed to make Roy aware of his flaw of making this place so obvious.

"Ah! Winry! Where are you going?"

Ed froze, his heart lurching into his throat. That voice…

Looking through the windows of people in the crowd, he saw them.

It was definitely Winry… He hair had been braided down her back, and she was wearing a white, lace-fringed sundress. She was stunningly beautiful, and more grown-up then Edward remembered her.

Next to her was Rose, wearing a red, knee-length gown with short sleeves. In her arms, she held her little girl who was struggling to break free of her mother's grasp.

And then…

"I'm going to the bathroom, Al. Relax," Winry laughed, turning to the young man behind her.

Alphonse… he was dressed in a white button-down and brown jacket with a pair of black pants underneath. His golden hair had grown out and been pulled back… but just seeing him… in flesh and blood… was enough for him…

Ed bit down on his lower lip to prevent from sobbing. _I never thought I'd see you again…_He said inside his head, not trusting his mouth to speak. He reached his arm out, even though Alphonse was quite a ways away. Ed's sleeve slipped forward, showing some of those blasted markings…

Ed drew his arm away, looking at his wrist…_I can't let him see me this way…I'm not the same person I was…He fights homunculi… I…am…_ His eyes widened, and shook his head to diminish the thought.

He spotted Winry approaching. "Damn!" He shouted, then hid behind an ice sculpture on a table nearby. She didn't even glance in his direction.

He watched her flutter by, loose strands of hair following her in the breeze. How he longed to talk to her, and Al, and even Rose… but he had trouble hiding it from Roy. It was impossible to hide anything from Winry and Alphonse… they knew him that well…

"Elric."

Ed tensed, then turned and looked at the military man behind him. Jean Havoc was his name, if he remembered correctly.

"Come on, I'll show you where you're supposed to go," He said. Havoc didn't seem very excited about the event.

Ed followed him closely, doing everything in his power to avoid being spotted. Luckily, Havoc didn't seem keen on making the older brother obvious to anyone else.

Havoc lit a cigarette. The smoke slowly trailed out between his lips as he sighed. "I hate stuff like this," He said. "I don't have anyone to visit me, so I always feel like an outcast, you know?"

Ed wondered if he should respond. Havoc could very well have been talking to himself. He decided to leave it in the air.

"Anyway," Havoc said, "Mustang wanted me to make sure you were here, and for me to bring you to him and all that. You'll probably be sitting with his best men on the stage up there. The only reason I'm here at all is because he let me sit up there. I mean, he should right? I've followed him for years and years, but I guess that I shouldn't be piling this bull on you, huh."

Ed didn't reply. He hadn't really been listening anyway, so he didn't care. "Wait…" He said when it suddenly hit him. "I'll be sitting up there on the stage… where everyone will see me?"

"Ah…" Havoc took a moment to blow smoke in the air. "Yep."

He knew Roy hated him, but this was too much. He felt dizzy… _I can't be missed! _His brain yelled at him.

"Something wrong?" Havoc asked, paused, then said, "Eh, I don't actually give a damn."

Edward decided that he liked Havoc… but he had other problems right now. He couldn't be seen by Alphonse.

-

Ed bounced his leg nervously, hands unconsciously running through his hair as he attempted to make himself look like someone else. Of course, he knew his brother, and he'd be pointed out without issue.

Ed looked out at all the chaos taking place. "Oh, forget this," He said, getting to his feet and hurrying off the stage. "He can just do his little speech without me…"

He skirted around the edges of the crowd, trying to avoid the people, but as one often does when trying to avoid something, instead ran right smack into someone.

"Ah…" Ed moaned, holding to his nose. "I'm…"

The man turned to look at him, a large grin on his face. Ed had never seen this military man before, but the psychotic smile left him horrified.

"Hi," He said to Ed, in an equally frightening voice. "Edward."

The utter disgust placed into his name immediately led Edward to calculate who it was. "ENV-" Ed began when Envy's hand transformed, clamping over Ed's mouth.

Envy forced Edward onto the ground, just as the crowd began clapping as Roy took the podium. No one noticed them.

"What's the matter, Elric?" Envy whispered into his ear.

Ed let out a muffled cry, pulling his hand up onto the one clamped over his mouth, pulling at it.

"Oh, can't breathe?" Envy asked with mock sympathy. "Poor little boy."

Edward struggled against the homunculus's grip, but troubled sleep, lack of air, and fasting for the past few days had made him extremely weak; his seizure in the hall earlier left his muscles sore. Envy had an apparent advantage over him from the get-go.

In a panic as his last breath taken grew sour in his mouth, his other hand that had been beating Envy on the chest dropped and was slipped out of the glove… If Edward remembered correctly, back in their last confrontation…

Ed's marked up hand slammed against Envy's chest. A wave of black flooded over the spot, and Envy howled, jumping off of Edward.

Ed was on his feet in a moment.

He heard Roy silence, and the shifting of the crowd.

Ed smacked his hands together, but instead of the normal feeling he got, it was much more intense. The electric power erupting from his alchemic stream was red.

Envy recovered from Ed's attack, only to be hit with an alchemic blast that could have rattled the heavens, given enough rage.

"What the hell?" Roy asked, his voice echoing on the microphone, before he took off towards the ruckus. He slipped and fell. "AH!" He shouted, pain shooting up his back.

"Oops!" Obsession leaned over him. "Did I do that?" Her fangs glistened at him wickedly.

Roy snapped his fingers at her, sending her up into flames.

"Sir!" Riza exclaimed, helping Roy to his feet. He fell against her for a moment, and even when he straightened, she held to his elbows as if he would fall again. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," He replied. "The homunculi are here, as I expected."

"MUSTANG!" Alphonse approached him at a quick walk, his female allies not far behind. "What's going on?"

"It's…" Roy smirked. "A trap."

When Rebellion and Redemption, who had taken a page out of Ed's book and snagged a curtain to disguise his face, attacked the groups, the state alchemists that had hidden themselves ink the crowds turned and attacked in perfect stance.

Ed felt his energy drain when his attack subsided.

Envy rose from the ground like a zombie, black burns covering half of his face. His face began to recover, and Envy cackled at the sight of Edward, struggling to stay on his feet.

"Oh, poor alchemist is tired?" Envy asked in a sardonic baby voice.

Edward took in a few ragged breaths and straightened himself up a bit more. He coughed lightly, and a stream of blood trailed down his lip.

"Oh…" Envy's eyes danced with delight. "I get it."

"What is all that going on over there?" Al asked, eyes narrowing. "Another one of your 'traps'?"

"Honestly?…" Roy asked.

Al didn't wait for his response, taking off in that direction.

"Al!" Winry shouted, hurrying after him.

Rose looked around. "Ah… wait for me!" She cried, rushing to catch up with her child laughing, bouncing in her arms.

"You want something, don't you," Envy approached Ed, and when they were two feet apart, grabbed the bag tied at his waist. "You want some of THESE, don't you!" He dumped a pile of red stones into his hand.

Ed shrieked, his markings burning in his skin. Sound vanished, and the whole world was once again a flash of red, black, and white.

"What is that?!" Winry shouted, holding her ears. "That scream's inhuman!"

Alphonse cringed but didn't plug his ears, shoving his way through the crowd.

The inhabitants surrounding Ed and Envy began dropping like flies, unconscious from the howl.

Envy's red stones flung from his hand and buried themselves into Ed's skin. His screaming faded, and he was left on his hands and knees, trembling violently. He vomited blood onto the grass.

Al froze at the sight of Edward.

Ed sensed eyes upon him, and slowly lifted his head, sweat making strands of his hair stick to his face. At the sight of his brother, tears welled in his eyes. _No…not like this…_His strength drained completely, and he fainted onto the grass.

Even the homunculi had been knocked unawares by the scream, and Redemption stumbled and almost fell.

The only reason Obsession didn't fall was because Heartbreak managed to save her by having earth wrap around her feet. "Thank you," She said to him, holding her head.

Roy approached Redemption and held out his hands to light him ablaze.

"No… please…" Redemption said, not with fear, but stern, as he held his hands up. "You don't want to… I don't want you to… regret…" He muttered.

"Filth," Roy growled.

As Heartbreak removed the rocks around Obsession's feet, Vincent attacked him with a spear formed from a tree. Luke in turn jumped on Obsession, his nails elongated from alchemy forming marble to his fingers.

Al dropped to his knees in front of his unconscious brother, and turned Ed's face to face him. Alphonse's face screwed up as tears streamed down his cheeks. "**BROTHER!!!!!**" He screamed, holding him to his chest.


	8. The Plan

Chapter 8: The Plan

Roy sent flames billowing at Redemption who, with a wave of his arm, sent them into the air by the force of his wind power. "I mean it!" Redemption shouted. "You don't want to do this!"

"Let go of me!" Obsession hissed. Luke sneered at her.

Heartbreak didn't struggle but for a moment, then sighed, defeated. He didn't seem to want to fight with Vincent.

"My God…" Winry whispered, then covered her mouth with her hands.

Rose held tightly to her child, so stunned that she was numb inside. "It can't be…"

Al slowly began to calm himself, and looked down at his brother's face… It was calm and serene despite how pale he was and the large red streak running from his lip to his chin. Al brushed a strand of Ed's hair back into the place, eyes still misty with tears, and he sniffled.

Envy growled as he recovered from his daze. He could feel the gate pulling at him, but he released himself from its grasp. "YOU!!" He snarled.

Al looked up as Envy rushed him. Ed still hung limp in his arms, but Alphonse still managed to draw a circle in the dirt and build a wall in front of him. Of course, this was nothing Envy couldn't handle, but it gave him enough time to get a running head start.

Al passed Ed off to Winry with a look of longing as if he never wanted to let go, then turned and face the homunculus so that he could protect them.

"Give me the boy," Envy growled. "He's mine."

Alphonse clapped his hands together. "Try and take him," He said.

Redemption fell to the ground, his sleeve on fire. After using blowing on it, his wind abilities put it out, but Roy was sending more at him before he could recover, and he was soon surrounded by a circle of flames.

Roy stepped through uninjured and looked down at his enemy. The glow of the blaze made him seem darker… his eye showed more vengeance and hatred than he'd ever seen in the now-Fuhrer.

"You won't get away," Roy thundered, lifting his arm and extending his hand, held ready for another attack.

"Roy," Redemption said, "Please, listen to me."

He was taken aback by the use of his first name.

"Roy, it's… I'm…"

Suddenly he was snatched. A pathway was drawn in the circle, and Rebellion stood between it, holding Rebellion over his shoulder. "Fool. Both of you," He said, snapping his own fingers and sending an attack identical to Roy's at Roy.

"Scar…?" Roy whispered, just before the inferno hit him.

The four homunculi created by Envy all regrouped at the stage. Together they began fighting off all of the state alchemists with ease.

Roy stumbled out of the fire, holding to his burned and bloody arm. His breathing was labored from the pain, and sweat poured off of him from the heat.

"Sir!" Riza cried, covering her mouth with her hands.

"I'm all right," Roy said, approaching her. He didn't sound or look convincing enough to ease her woes. "What do we do? Even if we could get the circle drawn that could render them useless, these homunculi use the actual bodies of the ones who are deceased. How would we destroy them without their bones?… These homunculi is a clever new trick if you ask me… one that… could destroy us all… Agh!" He fell to his knees, his wound plaguing him.

"Fuhrer, sir!" Riza exclaimed, dropping down next to him.

"Come on, now," He said weakly, smiling up at her. "Couldn't you cry out my first name just once, Lieutenant?" He collapsed into her arms.

"We need to retreat," Heartbreak said. "We can't handle them much longer without the red stones to fuel us."

"Where's Brother Envy?" Obsession asked. "We can't leave without him!"

Envy punched Alphonse. He jumped back and transformed to Edward. "Come on, Al, you wouldn't hit me, would you?" He asked, his voice echoing as Edward's.

Alphonse narrowed his eyes and clapped his hands together. "You won't fool me now, Envy," He said, electric blue lightning flying from his hands.

Envy growled, changing back to his normal form. "I see you've fixed up a pair of gloves to suit your needs like the dumbass fireman."

"It was difficult, yes. It took me a long time, yes… Is it effective? Yes," Al slammed his hands onto the ground and brought up two twin-bladed spears, created from the rocks. "I may not be able to kill you, but I'll be sure to make you wish you were dead! What have you done to him?!"

"Who me? I'm innocent as the day I was created," Envy replied sardonically.

"Yeah, I'd believe that, actually," Alphonse hissed. "Tell me the truth!"

"Seriously, it was all him. You think that _I _want him alive? If I'd wanted him to live, I wouldn't have killed him in the first place," Envy responded, looking at his nails. "You're boring me. "

"I don't believe you!"

"Please, the truth of this matter is way too fun to lie about," Envy yawned. "I'm leaving."

Alphonse attacked him. They fought for awhile, but Envy managed to lay several blows and slip away after slashing Al in the side with his own weapon.

The homunculi managed to get away from the military without issue.

"Something tells me…" Havoc mumbled, shoving a few unconscious men off of him, "that this was just a warning…"

"Seems more to me like they were bored, and using us to humor them," Breda grumbled, pulling Furey out from a pile of chairs.

Havoc lit a cigarette and puffed on it for a moment. "I hate parties."

-

Edward slowly stirred from his slumber and stared blearily up at the ceiling above him. He moaned a bit, closing his eyes and rubbed his face with his hands. He couldn't really recall what happened… could all of it have been a dream? All he knew was that his empty, starving feeling had left him completely. He felt full of energy… he felt alive… he felt it almost to the point of being rabid.

He lifted himself from his warm blankets quickly and looked around. The room was empty, save for a few beds holding unconscious soldiers covered with bandages. Ed himself seemed to have been placed on the bed and covered up, then no further tampered with. He was even still in his military garb.

After looking around a bit more, he found that his other outfit had been folded neatly and placed next to his bed and, sick of dressing like Roy, he quickly changed into it.

He opened the door, listening to it creak almost creepily. Voices echoed from down the hall.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!"

"Al…" Ed whispered. A flash of a memory, pictured in grayscale, entered his mind. His brother's face… seeing him…

"I wanted it to… uh… I wanted to surprise you!" Roy cried nervously.

"Oh, we were surprised, all right!" Winry's voice yelled.

"Winry…" Ed sighed.

"We shouldn't be fighting now!" Rose exclaimed. "The fact is that Ed has returned, and we should be grateful for that!"

"Rose…" Ed blushed a bit. His schoolboy crush had long since subsided, but he couldn't help but think of their last moments before he had been pulled into the gate. That was the first time he'd ever really danced with a girl seriously. Sure, in childhood, he and Winry and Alphonse had held hands and danced like the children they were, but it wasn't the same.

_Well…_Ed concluded in his mind. _I guess that it's apparent that they saw me. I suppose I might as well make an appearance… Maybe I can find out if they captured the homunculi…_He paused, mid-step, out the door. What if they knew that he…? No… He couldn't go out there…

He was just about to go in when the group turned the corner and spotted him.

Ed was frozen in his spot, staring at them, unsure what to do. Thankfully for him, they were all about the same.

Quite awhile passed before anyone moved, and Alphonse was the first to do it.

"Ed," He said, lowering his head.

Ed started to back up. Was he so ashamed to see what he had become?

Al then lifted his head, a smile plastered on his face and tears glittering on his cheeks.

Ed's composure shattered, and any thought or fear he'd held before vanished. The two brothers ran to each other, and Edward scooped Alphonse into his arms and cried out his name.

They were both laughing, smiling, and crying at the same time, and Alphonse even kissed his cheek, something he hadn't done since they were little children.

"I never thought I'd see you again!" Al cried.

"Oh, but it worked, it worked!" Ed exclaimed. "I got your body back, Al!"

"That doesn't matter, as long as we're together again!" Al replied, clutching to him. "How did you get back?"

Ed silenced. He felt Roy's eye burning on him.

"Yeah, Fullmetal, do tell," Roy said sternly.

"I… I don't remember…" Ed lied. His secret was still safe, but for how long? Alphonse's smiling face was the only thing in his eyesight right now, and his guilt was welling up from within.

Roy was the only one not smiling.

-

Russell loomed over his notes, correcting some of the mistakes he'd discovered. His eyes had sunken into his face, and his skin seemed to be losing some of its color. Fletcher watched concernedly from the stairs.

After they had fought, Russell hadn't spoken to him for several days. Fletcher had watched as his brother delved deeper and deeper into the studies of alchemy. The new shipment of books that had been brought in had been read in mere hours, yet they had not so much as grazed a shelf, still sitting in the corner of the store. Russell hadn't slept, or at least Fletcher hadn't seen him sleep. He wouldn't eat until he was done with his studies, and sometimes that would be for over half a day, and so his weight was already declining. And he still wouldn't speak to his little brother.

"What's happened to you?" Fletcher whispered, staring at the strange creature his brother had become.

Russell's dark eyes stared at the paper, formulas and circles, altered and explained, and a demon's smile plastered itself upon his lips, as he placed it into the thick book where he held all of his notes. The book had nearly grown a third of its size in the last few days.

Fletcher scampered across the room unseen, then hid behind a bookcase, listening to his own breathing, his own heartbeat… watching that bead of sweat roll down the side of his face.

"Hm…" Russell mumbled slowly. "I wonder…"

Fletcher shut his eyes and covered his ears. He didn't want to hear anymore of it. Russell needed help… but where could he go?!

-

"I can't believe you didn't KILL HIM!" Obsession yelled, knocking stuff over and breaking it. "YOU HAD THAT ONE CHANCE AND YOU BLEW IT! What are you, CRAZY?!"

Envy leaned against the wall and watched her destroy the room. "Sometimes I wish I didn't create you," He grumbled flatly. "I liked this room."

"You HAD him. Alphonse Elric was in your grasp!" She growled, shooting ice picks at him. He dodged them with a turn of his head.

"I had a better idea," Envy shrugged, looking down at his fingernails, then chewing on his thumbnail in thought.

"A better idea?" Obsession asked, calming.

Heartbreak gasped, pulling himself out from under a fallen bookcase. Rebellion clambered down of the chandelier that lit the room, and Redemption crawled out from under the table.

"I hate it when she does that," Rebellion stated. The other men just looked at him in agreement.

Envy shrugged. "Well, you know, I thought, since that older Elric is one of us now, I figured we should just screw it, and use it to our advantage at least."

"Eh?" Obsession questioned. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Envy said, grinning toothily. "I thought, 'of course I can kill Alphonse' but then… well, imagine this…"

Envy transformed into Alphonse. "Brother, oh dear brother! How happy I am that we are together again!" He exclaimed over dramatically.

He changed into Edward. "As am I my dear brother! How happy we are together!"

Envy returned to normal. "And then they hug and do all of that crap, but Alphonse doesn't know that Edward is one of us. You know what we need…" Envy lifted a new bag of red stones into the air and showed it to his audience.

He transformed into Alphonse again. "Brother, oh brother, are you okay? You seem ill!"

He turned into Edward and laid down on the floor. "I am dying, dying, without the red stones!"

He turned back into himself and threw some red stones on the ground. "Join us, Elric, and you can have as many as you want. You're a homunculus now. You think only of yourself. That's all that's required of you, you have no soul!"

He turned into Ed and ate the stones, then snarled rabidly.

He turned into Al. "What are you doing, brother of mine?!"

He turned into Ed and turned his arm into a scythe. "DIE! I think only of myself for that is all that is required of me, for I HAVE NO SOUL!"

He slashed at the group, making them take a step back, and he echoed Alphonse's voice, screaming, through the room.

"Now," He said, returning to his normal form. "Dying by my hand would be fine…. But to have him die by his beloved brother's hand… now, that is the way to go, my friends, because as soon as the older Elric returns to his wits… He'll be a pile of broken-hearted trash. He'll be easy to dispose of, and I'll remove of the Elric brothers without even breaking a sweat."

"Ingenious," Obsession exclaimed.

"Inhuman…" Redemption mumbled.

"But of course it is!" Envy cried, putting his arm around Redemption. "We're not human, so why should we act like it?"

Redemption looked away from him.

"You're so smart, Brother Envy!" Obsession giggled, throwing her arms around him.

"Just stop destroying my house! I killed a family of six and twenty-one servants to get this place!" Envy shouted.

(A/N: I thought that Envy acting out a scene like that would be really cool to watch. Russell's become a bigger part in the story than I had originally planned, and I think he'll become a main character as the story goes on. I've got plans for him. Thanks for reading!)


	9. Guilty Pining

Chapter 9: Guilty Pining

There had been an issue with where Edward was going to sleep when it was Alphonse's room. Edward refused to share rooms with anyone, claiming that he needed his privacy, and finally, begrudgingly, Roy allowed him to stay in a room in the main building.

Alphonse and Winry stood in the doorway as Edward examined the books on the shelves of his new room, his fingers trailing along their spines.

"I see it, but I still don't believe it," Winry whispered, a smile permanently placed on her lips. Her eyes glittered as she watched him. "He hasn't changed a bit…"

Edward glanced at them. How wrong she was…

"Brother," Alphonse piped up. "Um…"

"Yeah?" Ed asked.

Alphonse shook his head. "I forgot what I was going to say…"

Edward stepped towards them. "Let's go for a walk."

Both watchers smiled.

-

The day was absolutely perfect. The sky was bright and blue and absent of clouds and the breeze had left it cool and comfortable. Children played in the streets, making the adults all smiles at the sight of their innocence.

"Edward," Winry said.

"Hm?" He looked to her.

"Nothing… I just… missed saying your name."

Ed smiled at her. "Winry."

"Yes?"

"I missed saying your name too."

She blushed.

"Enough of that, you two lovebirds," Al laughed.

"We're not lovebirds!" Ed and Winry cried, cheeks flushing.

Alphonse chuckled. "Okay, I'll stop. You guys are silly."

"It's beautiful out today," Edward said, changing the subject. He hadn't felt this at ease since… well, before he'd gone through the gate… in fact, he hadn't felt so at peace since he was a boy before his mother died. The markings on his skin were the furthest thing from his mind. He was happy with Winry and Alphonse, just walking down a street… It was so simple, quaint, but… perfect.

"It's the best day I've seen in awhile," Winry commented, shielding the sun from her eyes with her hand. "It's been so gloomy lately. I'm glad the storms finally moved out."

"Me too," Alphonse said.

A squeal of a little girl caught all three's attention. The young girl came bounding at them, away from her mother, sending smiles onto Alphonse's and Winry's face, and a stony, frozen look upon Edward's.

"Elysia!" Alphonse cried, scooping her into his arms.

"Elysia…" Edward whispered, meeting eyes with Gracia, her mother. Images of the Maes Hughes look-alike homunculus entered his head, and the weight of the guilt fell upon his shoulders like a ton of bricks.

"My goodness…" Gracia whispered, approaching. "Edward, is that you? I thought I'd never see you again… I thought you were…"

"I'm walking around, breathing," Ed grinned sheepishly. He felt ill with guilt but hid it with a smile.

"Dear, you're pale," Gracia said, touching his face, "and you're absolutely frozen!"

"I'm fine," He responded quickly. "Just… err… I'm so happy to see you."

Winry glanced at Edward, and he knew that she knew that that wasn't entirely true. He wanted to see her, but something was keeping him from opening up and just being happy.

"Edward!" Elysia practically sang, clutching onto him.

"H-Hey," Ed said, smiling, though his eyes betrayed him.

Winry took hold of Edward's sleeve. "Hey, Ed, I want to show you something, can you come see?"

"Huh?… Oh, sure, I guess so…"

Elysia let go and waved goodbye to him as Winry dragged him away into an alley.

"What do you have to show me here?" Ed asked, looking around for a sign of something interesting.

"What… are you hiding from us?" She asked, back to him.

"Huh? I… I'm not…"

"Alphonse is blinded by his joy of your returning, but… I can tell… something's not right about you, Ed… You're not… quite yourself…"

"I…" Ed trailed off, trying to think of what to say. He couldn't tell her the truth. "I've just been going through some… changes…"

"What kind of changes?!" She cried, turning to him, eyes dewy with tears. She pressed her fists into his chest and looked up at him, lip quivering. "Tell me the truth, Ed!"

He stared into her eyes, those all-knowing orbs of ocean blue, and he knew that she'd never believe him if he lied… but if he told her the truth…

"I've been changing… That's all… I don't really know how to explain it, but… I'm not the same as I once was… I'm sorry…" It wasn't necessarily a lie. He was dancing around it, but it was the truth to some extent.

"Fine then…" Winry mumbled, lowering her gaze. Her fists recoiled into her delicate fingers again, still against his chest. "You can tell me when you're ready to talk about it…"

Ed felt his guilt pouring on him like a heavy rain. It killed him to see her this way… He had some confused feelings for her, and lying to her really made them show themselves to him. He didn't quite understand it, but his heart ached severely when he saw her this way…

He slowly put his arms around her and held her for a moment. "I'm sorry," He said, released her, and walked away, leaving her stunned.

"Edward…" She whispered, staring at his back.

-

That night, when Edward slept, he dreamt of the gate again, just like when he was first at Russell's house. He swam through it, trying to escape the voices, but the creatures of the gate pulled him downward, drowning him, and he watched as his body was glowing bloody red and seeing chaos strewn out before him.

His eyes flew open with such a quickness that it took a moment to focus his vision. The ceiling of his room… He was safe… Drenched with sweat perhaps, and trembling with fear, but safe.

Rolling out of bed, he looked out the window. It was still dark. Either late at night or early in the morning, he supposed. Most likely the latter of the two.

He went into his bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. Had he paled? The marks were more apparent in this light than in regular light, but he was starting to get used to seeing them. They weren't what was currently bothering him…

"Those voices…" He whispered, looking down into the sink. "They're familiar somehow… One in particular, but… I can't figure out whose it was…"

His hands were shaking on the counter.

"I hate this…"

As he stood and relieved himself, he stared at the ceiling and thought about what had become of him. It didn't feel right… lying to his brother, his friends… all because of those accursed marks and that horrible gate. He knew he could probably trust Alphonse with them, but a part of him feared that Alphonse would abandon him, or worse… and no matter how unlikely it seemed, he wasn't about to take that chance.

After he finished, he washed his hands and went back into the room. He couldn't sleep anymore, so he pulled a book off of the shelf and started reading it in the moonlight emanating from the window behind his bed.

It surprisingly wasn't an alchemy book. It wasn't even non-fiction. It happened to be a novel, hand-written and placed on the shelf. The story involved a young man on a quest to find someone precious to him, and in turn beginning to find himself and the things he left behind on this mission. Normally, Ed cared not for fiction, but the story somehow drew him in, and he read on until daylight…

Yawning, he closed the book after marking his place and stared at the plain brown cover. The story didn't even have a title… Who could have written it, he wondered. The story seemed to fit into his lifestyle, his past. In the story the main character left his own world in search of this precious person and found himself in a new world, different yet the same. In this world, he knew not who to trust, for some people were the same, but some were different.

A parallel world…

He left the book at the foot of his bed and entered the bathroom to shower, something he realized he hadn't done since he'd returned. After this recognition, he felt absolutely nasty, and scrubbed himself extra hard until he was squeaky clean. Unfortunately, the marks didn't wash off, but he hadn't expected them to.

After dressing and braiding his hair (he was amazed when he realized it'd grown so long… he decided he'd been too busy lately), he came downstairs. He'd hoped that he'd missed breakfast, so that no one would ask him to eat, but alas, he could hear them in the mess hall before he reached the bottom of the steps.

"Edward!"

He turned and saw Winry approaching, smile on her face. She seemed to have given up on being upset for the other day.

"Good morning," He greeted. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," She replied, walking along next to him. "Hungry?"

"… No, not really," He responded uncomfortably.

She just smiled. "You were always skipping breakfast when you visited home too… You needed that extra hour and a half of sleep."

"Yeah, well, it was one of the three hours I did sleep because I was working so hard," He laughed. "I can't believe you remember that!"

"Remember that? I remember everything you ever did!"

"Winry! Edward!"

Ed turned around. "Rose," Ed smiled, waving. Her little girl held to her hand, staring at him with large eyes.

"Wow…" Ed said, crouching down to look at the child. "I haven't seen you since you were a baby." He smiled warmly at her, though behind his eyes burned the memory of how Dante had used the child… Dante… That sick woman… How could his father have ever been with her?

The child hid behind her mother's leg, staring at him with fear.

"That's odd," Rose commented. "Normally she's not so shy…"

Ed's smile faded a bit. Could she remember him? It seemed unlikely…

The little girl, under her mother's coaxing, slowly emerged from behind her and approached Edward.

"There's no reason to be so shy," Ed said, grinning.

"You're… scary," The little girl said nervously.

Ed felt like those markings were on fire, as if the little girl could see right through him. "You haven't got any reason to be afraid of me," He laughed, hiding his discomfort. "What's her name, Rose?"

"Faith," Rose told him, smiling.

Ed held out his hand to the little girl. "Nice to meet you. My name's Ed."

The little girl stared at his hand for awhile, then looked into his eyes. "You're…" Her eyes grew teary, and she wailed to her mother. "Momma! He's scary! He's not right!"

Ed lowered his gaze and sat on the floor. Was he that transparent? First Winry had her suspicions, and now this little girl…

It was amazing to him how quickly his mood could be killed these days.

-

Redemption sat on the roof, across the street from a small elementary school. He watched the children playing at recess, focused on one certain little girl… his little girl… Elysia…

Envy foolishly assumed that everything he did was perfect, and so he had no idea that Redemption remembered everything about his life as Maes Hughes. It wasn't just a fuzzy dream either, like that of Rebellion's, but it was clear as day. Every name, every face… He even remembered how he had been killed.

All he wanted now was to go back to his wife and little girl… but he knew that he couldn't… He was after all, no longer a man, but a homunculus. There was no chance in avoiding the fact that he had died, and he would no longer be accepted here. Maes Hughes was gone now, though he wanted nothing but for that life to return.

No… that would never happen again, he figured. He hoped that since Edward's death hadn't been apparent, he could go back to living his life without this homunculus existence. Edward was young, and Hughes believed he deserved some kind of life… at least he himself had gotten a chance to love and live, even if only for a short time.

He wondered how the blonde was doing… He'd seen him be attacked by Envy, and he was very worried about that plan the soulless bastard had come up with… If he could get to him without being seen, he could warn him, but that was quite impossible. After that assault, the military was probably guarding the place extra heavily now, and he didn't want to deal with Roy or those two other alchemists that had attacked his fellow homunculi, again.

He was stuck in the middle of something, it seemed, and the worst part was that he wanted nothing to do with it…

Elysia… He watched her giggle and run, playing with her friends, so carefree and happy…

He buried his face in his hands to hide his tears… "My Elysia… my little girl…" He whimpered.


	10. Wrath

Chapter 10: Wrath 

Step. Clunk. Step. Clunk.   
The boy breathed in heavily, eyes directed on the darkness. His left foot, a mess of metal and wires, dragged against the ground while his metal arm sparked at his side. His breath was a mist in front of him, while fog surrounded him.   
Another person manifested as he traveled through the haze, and his blue-violet eyes focused on the body. "Who are you?" He asked in a raspy voice.   
A hand, black and clawed, extended to him, and a voice echoed. "_Come. Come to me now. I can take you to where you are not an abomination._"   
The boy hissed and replied. "Don't assume you can control me!" He shouted.   
"But… I can…"The hand lost its form and went zooming towards him.   
The boy screamed, his matted black hair flying into the air. "NO! YOU WON'T!" 

- 

Ed gasped, eyes flying open. He trembled under his blankets in a cold sweat, and yet he was on fire. He threw off his blankets and found the red markings glowing brightly against his skin. It was horrible.   
Rain pelted against the window, and thunder boomed as he stumbled to his feet… _Hold on…_There was something else pounding on that window too.   
Ed flung around and the silhouette of a body crouched on the windowsill. "Open!"   
Edward stared, horrified. "Who is it?" He shouted, his voice raising in pitch and volume out of fear. "Who are you? Who's there?"   
A fist busted through the glass. "Open the window! Let me IN!" The voice was a high alto, and irritable enough to not waste any time.   
Reaching in and unlocking the window, the boy swung it open and practically fell inside, tumbling onto the bed, dripping wet with dark hair flopping over his face. "I knew… it was you… and you just saw me, too, didn't you…" 

It was now that Ed realized it was the voice of the boy in his dream, no it was the BOY from his dream, not just the voice.   
The boy lifted his head so that his eyes met with Edward's. "So… this is you now, is it?" He laughed bitterly.   
"Wrath…" Ed whispered, stunned.   
Wrath then shouted out as he ripped off his automail arm and threw it to the floor. "Useless piece of junk."   
"What are you… how are you…" Edward went to the lights and flipped them on, then almost went weak at the knees at the sight off the boy.   
Wrath was… not the same, if putting it lightly… His automail foot was busted and hung limply, and his arm was just wires now that it had been pulled from the socket. He was damp from the rain, but none of this was as much cause for stare as his… skin…   
Splotches of blackness spread across his skin like some sort of leprosy, his worst spot spreading across the right side of his face so that only his eye was visible.   
"What… happened to you?"   
Wrath chuckled acidly. "I've been pulled towards Hell. I see you've already been." His eyes were wide like that of someone who had gone completely insane, as he limped across the room towards the blonde. "There's a hole… in the Gate…"   
Ed's pupils shrunk. "What?"   
"I think I figured it out…" Step. Clunk. "Envy has been having too much fun…" Step. Clunk. "…making his little trips… through the gate… he's worn a hole…" Step. Clunk. "…and now… she's taking over…"   
"She…?"   
Wrath was right in his face, and he whispered, "She. You know… Dante."   
"D…Dante…?"   
"That's right…" Wrath responded. "I narrowly escaped her… otherwise I would have ended up like you, I'd bet."   
Right at that moment, it clicked in Edward's mind. That voice from inside the gate was that of…   
"W-Wait, what do you mean like me?"   
"Listen!" Wrath hissed. "You and I are connected y'see! That's why you saw me! The hole in the gate connects all us homunculi! They know where you are! Every last one of them!"   
Edward shoved Wrath back, disturbed to look so closely into his disturbed eyes, the cracked vision. "Leave me alone!" Ed shouted. "I'm not one of you!"   
"The ouroboros on your arm tells a completely different story, doesn't it, though?" Wrath chuckled wickedly.   
Edward grabbed it out of habit. "Regardless, I'm still not one of you. I might be a homunculus, but I don't act in the same terms that you and the rest of them do!"   
Wrath narrowed his eyes, his smile fading. "Don't bunch me in with the rest of them, you. I have no attachment to Envy or any of the other bastard homunculi he's leading, and I've got no interest in siding with Dante either."   
Edward returned Wrath's glare with one of his own. "Then who's side are you on? Are you on my side?"   
"Fuck no," Wrath spat. "You took away the only person in my life who was dear to me, so why would I join your side?! I'm on my own side, and I'm just telling you all this, so I can take care of killing you once you get rid of Envy and Dante."   
"What makes you think you can?"   
"I can handle you without a problem. You're so frazzled that you can't even handle yourself."   
Edward looked to his feet, fists clenched.   
"So, what are you going to do about Dante?" Wrath asked, sounding bored.   
"When I find her, I'll take care of it. Envy too."   
"Good. Then that means that you don't need me to explain it any further."   
"Get out of my room, wait until morning, and go see Winry about that arm and leg," Edward mumbled quietly.   
"I planned on it," Wrath rolled his eyes as if Edward had said something idiotic. "I'm out of here."   
Wrath leapt out the window and vanished into the night, the storm rumbling threateningly.   
Edward leaned against the door and sighed.   
Outside in the hall, Sergeant Major Kain Fuery stood, trembling. "No way…" He whispered. "That can't be true. Edward's a homunculus?" 

- 

Morning arrived bringing a brilliant sunny day to make up for its horrid night.   
"Edward!"   
His eyes snapped open to the sound of pounding, and he looked around in a panic expecting to see Wrath. When he managed to calm his heart out of his throat and back into his chest, he realized someone was knocking on his door.   
"Ed? You in there?"   
Winry.   
"Ah- just a minute!" He called, grabbing his pants and pulling them on.   
"Ed, you weren't still sleeping, were you?"   
"Ah…" He looked around at the room. A mangled automail arm on the floor, a broken window, a wall stained with rain water and muddy footprints everywhere… "No! I was uh… just getting ready to clean this mess of a room."   
"As if," Winry laughed, "let me in!"   
"NO!" Ed cried, slamming his hands against the door. Truth be told, he figured he could come up with a lie or play dumb about the mess in the room, but the red markings were another story. "Er… I'll just be a second."   
Winry, standing outside the door, grew agitated. _What's his problem?_ She wondered.   
He slipped out of his room and shut the door with lightning speed a moment later, fully clothed. "Good morning."   
"It's eleven. Nearly noon."   
Ed smiled sheepishly. "So… uh… where's Al?"   
"Practicing, teaching the other alchemists a bit, probably," Winry said. "That's why I came to get you. I wanted someone to talk to, and Rose is out with Gracia today."   
"Play date?" Ed guessed.   
"Yes."   
They walked in silence for a few moments.   
"Ah-"   
"What?"   
"nothing."   
The awkwardness between them was apparent. Edward wished it would go away, but he knew that as long as he had secrets, it was probably always going to be there. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen to their relationship with each other in the days, weeks, months to come. Would they continue to be close like family like before he left? Would they grow closer as his secrets gradually became a forgotten thing of the past? Or would they become distant and grow farther and farther apart until it would be like they'd never even known one another? He only prayed that it wasn't the last one.   
The two walked outside and found Alphonse training the other alchemists in the advanced arts that he knew. Each man was incredibly skilled, but Ed still stood open mouthed at Alphonse's brilliant work. "He's been working hard," Ed said. "That's amazing."   
"Al went back to Izumi and studied under her some more after you disappeared…" Winry said rather hesitantly, obviously still a little uncomfortable about the subject of his departure.   
"Ah. I haven't seen Teacher… Maybe I should go visit her."   
"You can. She lives nearby and helps the military when need be, mostly because of Al's placement there."   
"I think that's what I'll do," Edward decided. "I'll go by there today."   
Winry smiled at him. "Great."   
Edward looked at her, but his eyes traveled beyond her to the edge of the military and beyond that into an alleyway across the street. Wrath stood in the shadows, eyes narrowed on him, a frown on his face.   
Ed opened his mouth and closed it again, unable to say anything. The sight of the boy was even more disturbing in the sunlight, for his skin had paled even more, he now discovered, and it was now a deathly gray. The black splotches didn't make him look any better, and his hair was even longer and more matted. The mangled foot and missing arm sparked dangerously.   
"Wrath," Edward breathed.   
Winry turned from the sound of his voice and met eyes with the homunculus child as well and gasped.   
Alphonse even stopped his lesson to look at the boy.   
"What?" Wrath hissed with a toothy smile. "Haven't you ever seen a homunculus before?" 

- 

Fuery sat at his desk, staring down at the paperwork set before him, silent as he listened to the gears turning in his head. _Edward… a homunculus? I had to have heard wrong…It can't be true…but that's really what I thought I heard. I wish I hadn't fallen asleep at my desk._   
"Hey."   
He shouted. "WHAT?!"   
Havoc nearly choked on his cigarette from the surprise panicked response.   
"Oh… hello, Lt. Havoc… sorry about that…"   
"Jeez, Fuery," Havoc protested. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. What's the matter with you?"   
"Nothing… I was… just thinking… that's all… sorry…" His voice grew smaller and smaller as he spoke.   
"You get home all right last night?" Havoc asked, pulling his cigarette out from between his lips. "You fell asleep at your desk, and nobody wanted to wake you up."   
"Well, you should've…" Fuery responded sheepishly. _I hate knowing stuff I shouldn't._   
"Okay, I'll do it next time, but you know… That secretary that works for Roy really thought you were adorable," He smirked, taunting him with the information.   
"R-really?" Fuery blushed, for a moment forgetting about his predicament. "Wow… but… she's so…"   
"Smokin', I know," Havoc laughed.   
"Didn't she already turn you down when you asked her out?"   
Havoc's mood depleted. "Yeah. She did. Thanks for pointing that out."   
At that moment, said secretary was walking by the door, ringlets of red hair trailing behind her. "Sorry, Lt. Havoc, but you're not my type!" She chimed.   
Havoc sighed. "Story of my life…"   
Fuery couldn't help but feel relieved that Havoc had found something else to draw his attention to. He figured that he needed to speak with Edward before going forward to anyone about the situation. He definitely wasn't the type to gossip. _I wonder what he would say if I asked him? I'm kind of afraid…I mean…if he really is a homunculus…then, he could be a real threat! Ed wouldn't do that, would he? Either way, I must do something. If I don't, it could really mean danger…for everyone._   
Havoc had wandered off in search of his dignity that had apparently fallen on the floor at some point during the conversation, and he found himself musing. _Fuery's acting weird. I wonder what has got him so freaked out. Maybe he already knew about the secretary thing…_

- 

Wrath hunched on a bed in the military infirmary while Winry examined the damages, seeming not to notice the plague upon his skin. "This is the most mangled wreck I've ever seen!" She exclaimed, broken-hearted at the destruction of her work. "Not even Edward brought home damage like this!"   
Wrath glared at her like she was the most hideous thing he had ever encountered. "Fix it," He growled.   
"I'll try, but I'm not sure if I can," Winry shrugged. "I mean, the leg is doable, but the arm…"   
Wrath exhaled through his nostrils in frustration, jaw set. His blue-violet eyes burned in her direction, when from behind, a glare only more wicked than his came back at him from his fellow homunculus.   
"What's the matter?" Wrath taunted, a grin spreading across his face. "Don't like the way I treat your woman?"   
"YOU-!" Ed shouted, but Alphonse grabbed him around the waist, restraining him. "STUPID BRAT!"   
"Pipsqueak."   
"**PIPSQUEAK?!!!!**"   
"Ed! Calm down, please!" Alphonse cried.   
"You're shorter than me, you little punk!" Edward continued to shout, shaking his fists at him.   
"Not where it counts," Wrath replied calmly.   
Edward settled down as the blow to his pride sank in.   
"Honestly," Winry shook her head. "Sometimes boys can be so immature."   
Wrath flopped down on the bed and looked over at Ed with a smirk. Not a word passed between them, but the blonde knew exactly what that meant. _I know your secret_, his eyes screamed, _and I won't hesitate to tell everyone if you cross me._   
"I'm going to visit Teacher," Ed grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. He didn't think he could take much more of Wrath's presence.   
"I'll go with you!" Al exclaimed.   



	11. Truths and Lies

Chapter 11: Truths and Lies

Edward walked side by side with his brother, both of them silent. While thoughts were heavy upon Edward's mind, Alphonse seemed practically care-free, a sweet smile upon his face. Oh, to be so happy… Edward wished he could be like that.

"Al…"

"Hm?" His brother turned to him.

Ed opened his mouth but then shook his head. "Never mind…"

"Teacher is going to be really surprised to see you," Alphonse said with a smile. "Let's just hope she doesn't beat us up."

"I'm sure she'll find a reason to," Ed grumbled, thinking about all the poundings Izumi Curtis had given him before. Maybe visiting her wasn't such a good idea…

-

Even though it was a different house, a different shop, Edward could still tell that it was hers. She had an aura around her, an air of quiet grandiose, beautiful strength… and the darkness of her heart was closer to the surface. He could tell that fully, most of all, because he too suffered from it.

Alphonse knocked, and Edward suddenly felt uncomfortable. Izumi could always see right through him… but better it be her than Wrath, he supposed, for the boy was even more disturbing now than he had been before.

Mason opened the door.

"How's it going?" Ed joked, grinning.

Mason's eyes filled with tears at the sight of the boys. "Ed… Al…" He whimpered, and they laughed.

Ed however trailed off when he expected something was wrong. Alphonse followed quickly after, and the busted into the room, looking around in a panic for a sign of something horrible.

"What's going on? What happened?" Ed shouted, eyes wide with fright.

"…I'm so glad you're here… They said Izumi's… on her death bed…"

"What?!" Edward and Alphonse both cried.

Panic spread in Edward's heart as he bounded off down the hall. Sound had escaped him, as if he had gone deaf. He wasn't even sure if Alphonse and Mason were behind or if they had just watched him go.

Slamming open the door to a room, sound returned, and the first noise he heard was a shuddered gasp from himself.

Izumi lay in the bed, her dark hair spread out all around her, pale like the sheets she laid in.

"Teacher!" Edward cried, his voice trembling.

Her eyes opened slowly and she looked at him in surprise. "Ed…ward…" She rasped.

He approached and kneeled down at the bed, taking her hand. "Teacher! It is! It's Edward!" It was now that he was realizing that the sense of dread he'd held before they'd arrived was much worse than he'd thought.

"Edward…" She whispered, and a smile came across her lips. She looked thin and frail… So alien was this woman from his teacher that he had trouble believing it was her. "You… You came back… You're alive…"

Ed nodded, a knot forming in his throat that would not go away no matter how many times he tried. "Teacher…"

She touched his face softly. "What happened to you? You're… different…"

His eyes filled with tears. "You can still see right through me, can't you…" He whimpered, smiling pathetically. "This isn't about me… Please, don't do this, Teacher…"

She forced herself up into a sitting position, blood spewing from her lips that she wiped clean with shaking hands holding a white cloth. "Edward…" She said, her weak eyes meeting with his.

He couldn't take it anymore. Everything he had been holding back until that moment spilled over. "TEACHER!" He screamed, throwing his arms around her and sobbing into her shoulder. "Don't do this to me! I need you now more than ever! Don't die!"

Instead of barking at him and ordering him to straighten up like was typical of her, she put her arms around him and allowed his tears to fall.

"I didn't want our reunion to be like this…" Ed whimpered, clutching to her back. "You don't know… what I've been through… I can't handle this. Not right now."

"I'm not going to die without a fight, Edward," She soothed, her breath shallow against his neck. "Don't worry about me… Doctors have been putting me on my death bed for years now."

Even though he had trouble believing her, her words still managed to calm him down and settle his wails.

"Seeing you alone has made me feel alive. For a minute, I thought I'd actually died and you were there to greet me… Seeing you in flesh and blood gives me strength. I can go on too…" She said.

"Don't do that… Yell at me and beat on me like you always do… This isn't like you, Teacher…"

He now became more aware of his surroundings as his tears ran dry. Sig, her husband, was sitting on the other side of the bed, resting. Alphonse and Mason were standing in the doorway, and Al looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

Izumi pulled away from Edward and held her hand out to Al, beckoning him. "Well, don't just stand there. I haven't seen you in three months, and all you're going to do is stare at me?"

Alphonse walked in quietly and sat down on her bedside, not looking at her. By his calm nature, Edward could tell that he'd experienced something similar to this before, but perhaps it had never been this bad.

"You think you're going to pull another fast one on fate, Teacher?" Alphonse asked, hope in his voice.

"I don't plan on dying until I'm gray in the head," She smirked. "Good thing you guys aren't always around turning my hairs that color, eh?"

"Yeah," Edward murmured, his head dropping onto her lap. He remembered doing the pose before, a long time ago… with his mother… He would lay his head on her lap while she was feeding Alphonse a bottle and wait for her.

Now that he was laying there, he thought about that childhood. It was so full of waiting… Waiting for his mother to finish with Alphonse's lunch, waiting for his father to come home, waiting for the seasons to change, waiting for his mother to come back…

He didn't want to wait on anything anymore. It was waiting that had driven him to the brink of insanity and back again, and he'd grown so exhausted over those times that he doubted his brain could handle it now.

"I'm staying here with you tonight," Edward told her. "I won't take no for an answer, and by morning, I hope to see you walking…"

He knew it was selfish… but for once in his life, he wanted to be.

-

His sleep was restless, even with Alphonse snoozing by his side. The sky remained cloudy all night, though not a drop of rain fell. Staring out the window into the deep darkness, Edward couldn't help but wonder why it was waiting… Everything, everyone, waiting, waiting, waiting…

Unable to sleep, he got up and padded barefoot to the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror for a long time. _What are you waiting for? Why are you waiting?_ He asked his reflection with his eyes.

"Edward."

He turned his head in a flash and saw his teacher in a wheelchair, leaning her head against the doorway, watching him. "Can you not sleep either?" She asked with a smile.

-

After pushing her chair into the kitchen, he made them both coffee and sat next to her, staring into the cup and not drinking it.

"It's just you and me right now, Edward. Tell me what's on your mind," She said, her long fingers tapping the cup.

"I'm… a homunculus."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

He didn't look up. "I'm… different though… Envy, he pulled me back through the gate, but something happened to me while I was there… I… still have my soul… but…" He pulled up his sleeve and showed her the markings. "I have these… they haunt me… I can't take it!" He quickly hid them away again.

"You're always full of surprises, aren't you," Izumi said gravely.

"I don't know what's happening to me, Teacher…" He clenched his coffee cup more tightly. "I mean… I don't know if I'll always retain my sense of being… What if I lose control and hurt someone? W-- Someone told me that this has something to do with Dante, that she's calling the shots, and that there's a hole… in the gate… I don't know what to do…"

Izumi pried his hand away from the cup before he broke it and held it in hers. "Edward… you have to stop taking everything on your own. It's too heavy for you to carry by yourself. It's okay to ask for help sometimes, you know."

"I came here, didn't I?" He asked, half-smiling.

"Not for my help," She responded back. "Edward…" She pulled his glove off of his hand. "You still remember the things that I've taught you, don't you?"

"Yes," Edward mumbled, staring at his hand. "One is all and all is one."

"That balance has obviously been tainted by Envy."

"I know that… but somehow I feel as if I'm the one to blame… I'm… different than the other homunculi… so how do I know if I'm not the reason for all of this?"

"You're an idiot. Of course you're not to blame. You aren't like this on your own accord. Fate just has a way of screwing you, Ed."

"Well, if you want to put it bluntly like that…" Edward sighed, laying his head down on the table. "I know that I can't do it by myself… but… I'm afraid that anyone who gets involved will just end up hurt in the end… I can't feel responsible for that… That weight is heavier than every crisis in this world and the one on the other side… The guilt… is too much… for me. Really…"

She stared at the back of his head for a moment and then spoke. "Tell me everything. Maybe I can help."

He told her the story from the beginning to the point they were at right at that moment. He spoke quickly but did not stray on the details. He even spoke of Wrath, though hesitantly because of his teacher's relationship with the child. Ed was actually surprised with himself at how long it was, considering it hadn't happened long ago… and the more the events poured out of him, the more at peace he felt. Finally, he could tell someone, and he knew Izumi would keep it quiet unless absolutely necessary.

"Sounds like you've had a fun few days," Izumi smiled but was interrupted with a cough.

Ed looked away, not wanting to see the blood.

"Edward."

"What?" He asked, looking back at her.

"Everything will turn out all right."

He hung his head. "Yeah… okay…"

"Hey, now, Ed. You know I love you right?"

He smiled a little. "Don't say that. It makes me think this is the last time we'll speak to each other."

"But you know that, don't you?"

"…Yeah… I know…"

-

Edward awoke the next morning with his head on the table, cold coffee still sitting next to him. Izumi was gone, but he could smell breakfast being cooked either by Sig or Mason or both of them. He didn't move, not wanting to. All of the peace he'd found within himself by telling someone had seemed to vanish, replaced with the uneasiness of what was going to happen next.

"Ed…" Alphonse's voice. His brother shook him, unaware that he was awake. "You need to wake up…"

"I'm up, I'm up," Ed told him, rising up. His back ached horribly from sleeping with a hunch. "What time is it?"

"Eight o' clock, more or less," Al shrugged, smiling at him.

Edward stood, rubbing his shoulders. "We probably need to be heading back. Mustang and Winry will be expecting us." Truthfully, even if they weren't, he was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the fact that they weren't near him. His paranoia was growing steadily as his mind cleared, and he worried for Winry's safety, since Mustang could very well take care of himself. Of course, he figured once they got back, Izumi, Mason, and Sig would be on his mind constantly too.

After eating breakfast with the men of the house and Izumi, who looked a lot better than she had yesterday, they said their goodbyes and headed off.

Before they left, Izumi took Edward's hand and told him, "If you find out anything else, come back and tell me."

"I will," He said, placing his other hand over hers. "I promise I'll come back as often as I can."

-

"What did Teacher mean when she said, 'if you find out anything else'?" Alphonse asked, once they were well on their way.

"Ah…" Ed stammered, grinning nervously. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing."

Alphonse raised an eyebrow at him but didn't question him further. At least for now.

-

The day before…

"There!" Winry exclaimed, clasping her hands together, glitter in her eyes. "Sometimes I amaze myself."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Wrath grumbled, testing his new automail. He'd never admit it, but it truly was impressive that she had managed to fix it. "At least I don't have to limp anymore."

"Um…" Winry sat down on the bed next to his. "Can I ask you a question?"

Wrath glared at her. "Why should I allow that?"

"I fixed your automail, don't I deserve something?"

Wrath groaned, rolling his eyes, but said, "Fine."

"What happened to your skin?"

"Blunt, aren't we."

"I mean, it's not bad! I was just saying…"

"You dumb bitch, of course it's bad!" Wrath bellowed, fanged teeth flashing at her. "This is a side effect of almost being forced into the Gate."

Winry was silent, waiting for him to go on, horror splayed across her features.

Wrath flipped his matted mass of hair behind his shoulders. "What, doesn't your little pipsqueak of a boyfriend tell you anything?"

"Ed?" Winry responded automatically. "T…tell me what?"

Wrath raised his eyebrows with interest. "I guess that's a no," He smirked, eyes glinting wickedly. "Hilarious."

"What's he not telling me?" Winry begged.

"I don't think you've done enough for me to get the answer to that. I mean, there's so much I'm sure he's keeping from you."

Winry stood, lips trembling. "He wouldn't…"

"He didn't hesitate before he died," Wrath shrugged, looking at his fingernails. "Why should he have changed? The only difference is the severity of the secrets he's keeping, the lies he's telling."

"How do I know you're not lying?" She countered.

"You don't," He shrugged again, heading out of the room, "but then again, I've never actually lied to you. You technically have no reason not to trust me now… do you?" He looked over his shoulder, a devilish grin on his deformed face.

Winry didn't move, despite the fact that the homunculus was wandering free on military grounds. _He has a point…what am I going to do?_

Of course, she already knew the answer to that question.


End file.
